EPO Patent Information Services and Climate Change Mitigation Technologies

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1 Global Science Collaboration Addis Abeba, Ethiopia EPO Patent Information Services and Climate Change Mitigation Technologies Ged Owens Public Policy Issues June 2013 Search Matters

2 Agenda Climate Change Mitigation Technologies - Clean technologies Searching for Patent Literature: use of IPC - CPC classifications and their limitations The introduction of the Y02 Classification Outlook The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 2

3 Climate Change Mitigation Technologies Climate Change Mitigation Technologies (CCMTs): Human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases. Enormous political and social interest for these technologies from international agencies, NGOs, private enterprises... Enormous investments. from private sector, venture capitalists, governments. CCMTs not the same as "clean technologies": Focuses on greenhouse gases. Not necessarily "clean" in other aspects (for example nuclear energy). The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 3

4 EPO initiatives relating to Climate Change Patent landscape reports: "Patents and Clean Energy: bridging the gap between evidence and policy" (EPO-UNEP-ICTSD, 2010) "Patents and clean energy technologies in Africa" (EPO-UNEP, 2013) Classification scheme for Climate change related technologies (Y02): Human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases (UN definition). Focuses on greenhouse gases (not on all green / clean / environmentally sound technologies) Not necessarily "clean" in other aspects (for example nuclear energy). The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 4

5 Example in Espacenet: Zambian Patent Applications / 88 million patent documents! A wealth of technical information available via internet, online, free of charge Searchable using : keywords in title or abstract country / number classification Y02 - special classification for Climate Change Mitigation Technologies The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 5

6 Searching for patent documents: classification patent documents in EPO database Patent classification is like a ZIPcode for patented technologies International Patent Classification (IPC) used by all patent entries Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) by EPO- USPTO CPC is a refined version of IPC used by EPO to classify documents from many entries The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 6

7 Limitations of current IPC and CPC Patent documents are classified using the International Patent Classification (IPC) and the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) to ease the retrieve of information. Newly emerging technologies, however, tend to span over at least four different IPC classification sections. Therefore, using only the existing IPC or CPC is complex and usually leads to only partial results with too much noise. too much noise too narrow too narrow Emerging technology IPC Class 1 IPC Class 2 The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 7

8 Y02 Tagging Scheme as Spin-off Spin-off of the UNEP-EPO-ICTSD Patent Landscaping project: UNEP EPO ICTSD Study REPORT: "Bridging the gap between evidence and policy" New Patent Classification Scheme: Y02 The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 8

9 Development of the new tagging scheme - I EPO examiners combined their technical expertise expert knowledge in classification use of the best search tools available access to extensive databases to produce a new tagging scheme which is technically complete is technically specific covers comprehensive documentation The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 9

10 Development of the new tagging scheme - II 1. Co-operation between internal and external experts to draft a tagging scheme including the most pertinent technologies 2. Examiner defines a search strategy, based on EPO classification in EPODOC and external databases (to also include as much as possible KR/JP/CN/RU.. documents which are not yet classified by EPO), which will yield as many documents as possible without too much noise. 3. This search strategy is formalised in an algorithm which can be executed on command, also in future. 4. The results of the search algorithm are periodically uploaded into Y02 scheme. The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 10

11 CPC and "Y" tagging scheme The "Y" tagging scheme is now an integral part of the Cooperative Patent Classification. It is now retrieved when doing a "classification search" with keywords in Espacenet! The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 11

12 How it works The "Y" tagging scheme follows the same approach as IPC and is part of CPC but is complementary to the existing A-H classes. It relates to climate change mitigation and includes around 900 classification entries and nearly documents. It provides easy access to the general public on patenting in climate change mitigation technologies The following categories are already available online: Y02: Technologies or applications for mitigation or adaptation against climate change Y04S: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation, communication or information technologies for improving the electrical power generation, transmission, distribution, management or usage, i.e. Smart grids The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 12

13 Y02 The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 13

14 Example in Espacenet: Zambian Patent Applications / The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 14

15 Example in Espacenet The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 15

16 Legal status The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 16

17 EPO provides several platforms for searching patents patent documents in EPO database Use same database as EPO examiners: via Espacenet: free via PATSTAT: subscription database, use XML queries, for governments, economic research, patent information professionals via Global Patent Index (GPI): subscription, intermediate product: much more extensive search options than Espacenet, more user friendly than PATSTAT, some graphic output possible) The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 17

18 EPO's "PATSTAT" - EPO Worldwide Patent Statistical Database To provide statistics on patenting trends, areas of technology, countries of origin of inventors and applicants, transfer of technology. To provide factual evidence to support policy makers. Use same database as EPO examiners: patent documents in EPO database snapshot of the EPO master documentation database (DOCDB) worldwide coverage, more than 80 countries more than 20 tables with bibliographic data, citations and family links Two flavours of PATSTAT: PATSTAT Raw Data - subscription fee, EPO supplies data on DVD, you install and query via SQL PATSTAT online (Beta) The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 18

19 PATSTAT - online information on The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 19

20 Free Online Services The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 20

21 IP5 Common Citation Document - helps enhance world patent quality or The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 21

22 Outlook Current scheme: Capture, storage, sequestration or disposal of greenhouse gases (Y02C), reduction of greenhouse gas emission, related to Energy generation, transmission or distribution (Y02E), Buildings (Y02B) and Transportation (Y02T) and Smart grids (Y04S). The EPO is expanding the scheme to : Waste processing (W) Industrial processes and agriculture (I). The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 22

23 Further Information The UNEP/EPO/ICTSD study "Patents and Clean Energy: bridging the gap between evidence and policy" is available at: The UNEP/EPO study "Patents and clean energy technologies in Africa" is available at: Use "Y" in s: Stefano Angelucci: Victor Veefkind: Gerard Owens: More detailed working-level presentation Friday 28 June, 12:30! THE END The Role of the Patent System and CETs in Africa 23