Edition 5 - April 1998 |
BIOINFORMATICS CORNER |
Whether you are a laboratory scientist, an industry executive, or an attorney, chances are that you will need to learn more about the patent application process at one time or another. The following World Wide Web sites should give you a good start.
- The European Patent Office Web site contains information about EPO activities and provides links with the national patent office of your country. You can search the European Patent Attorney database to find a patent attorney who can defend your intellectual property rights.
http://www.european-patent-office.org/
- The World Intellectual Property Organisation Web site provides information about the treaties it administers. It contains the list of countries who have ratified the Budapest Treaty and of the culture collections recognised as IDA.
http://www.wipo.org/eng/ratific/q-budpst.htm
- The site of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office offers forms to apply for patents, information on patent fees and review procedures, as well as legal information.
http://www.uspto.gov/
- The Japanese Patent Office site includes the results of a comparative study on biotechnology patent practices in the USPTO, the EPO and the JPO.
http://www.jpo-miti.go.jp/siryoe/contents.htm
- The patents.com Intellectual Property Law Web server answers some Frequently Asked Questions about Intellectual Property Rights and gives general information about patents.
http://www.patents.com/
Finally, the full text of the Budapest Treaty can be consulted on the BCCM™ home page. Also, the BCCM™ practical manual for patent deposits, and the forms needed to make a valid deposit with the BCCM™ can be retrieved on the Internet at:
http://www.belspo.be/bccm/tbu
BCCM