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Rospatent and EPO seal deal

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In Moscow on 17 July, the Russian patent office, Rospatent, and the European Patent Office (EPO) held a conference marking the first step in a joint campaign to promote the use of patent information. The two bodies are hoping to stimulate competition, innovation and economic growth across Russia, ensuring that it and Europe will both feel fiscal benefits.

Rospatent is to make its patent archives available through an EPO database, which will enable researchers in other countries to examine the country’s innovation landscape. This will help corporations to spot marketing opportunities, hone their research and development programmes and reach out to potential Russian business partners. In the view of EPO project leader, Nina Formby, whose work covers the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Mongolia, ‘Russia is a great source of science and technology information.’

The agreement falls in line with the terms of Rospatent’s mission statement for economic growth leading up to 2010, as set out by its director general, Boris Simonov. His document supports the ‘creation of a balanced sector of R&D and an effective innovative system, providing technological modernisation of economy, and increase of its competitiveness, on the basis of high technologies and transformation of scientific potential.’

At present, Simonov does not feel that the Russian IP community is making the best of available resources. Speaking at the conference, he said: ‘Our researchers don't use patent information tools enough, and very often they are doing work without being aware of what is happening in the world. This lowers competitiveness.’

Rospatent and the EPO hope that the new system will highlight gaps in Russian innovation that commercial enterprises can take advantage of. To find out more about patent information, click here and here.