Be the signal » diisr http://bethesignal.org where we're going, we don't need roads... Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:15:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Australian patent database goes public http://bethesignal.org/blog/2008/05/01/australian-patent-database-goes-public/ http://bethesignal.org/blog/2008/05/01/australian-patent-database-goes-public/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 Jeff Waugh http://bethesignal.org/?p=1061 Good news for anyone who comes within a mile of patent law! Okay, so it might not be such great news for anyone who, under legal advice, should avoid coming within a mile of patents in the first place… ;-)

… but this may just be the first step towards a more open process here in Australia. It’s a good sign that things are changing for the better, at the very least. Rock on!

The Federal government and patent agency IP Australia have launched a new open, online database featuring almost 20 years’ worth of the country’s patent application records, in a bid to make it easier for inventors to check if someone else has already had their light bulb moment.

The AusPat database, launched this week as part of a joint initiative between the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) and IP Australia, will allow researchers and the innovation industry to crosscheck patent applications with records dating back as far as 1979.

 — New patent database exposes inventors’ old ideas, by Marcus Browne, ZDNet

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