Providing Patent Info in Developing Nations
The IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters has partnered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for the launch of the Access to Specialized Patent Information (ASPI) program at WIPO’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Sept. 17.
ASPI will give industrial property offices and government and academic researchers in developing countries free and low-cost access to comprehensive patent information, to foster innovation and participate more fully in the global economy.
David Brown, president of the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters, commemorated the program by acknowledging its importance in a speech to attendees, followed by a signing ceremony and press conference with WIPO Director General Francis Gurry and other dignitaries.
“Some have said that necessity is the spark for innovation, but in many cases necessity may not be enough. Intelligent information, however, can be the fuel for accelerating innovation on a sustained basis,” said Brown.
“The ASPI program offers the hope that through innovation – and its protection via intellectual property – developing nations can grow economically, socially, and technically, to foster human welfare and development, and become more integrated within the global knowledge economy.”
Innovation is beginning to lead BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and VISTA (Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey and Argentina) nations to advance technically, economically and socially. The economies of the latter have been forecast to grow 25.5 times more rapidly than today’s seven most industrialized countries by 2050.
“Patent information represents a critical source of knowledge and insight for researchers and innovators, legal professionals, entrepreneurs, and policymakers across the globe,” said Gurry.
Thomson Innovation, an intellectual property research and analysis platform from Thomson Reuters, will be made available to researchers through the program.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of information for businesses and professionals.
