Patent information today and in the future – a survey of small and medium-sized enterprises in Bavaria

Abstract

Patent information centres have to adapt their services to changing sources of information. At the same time, their customers, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, are changing their expectations of patent information services. In order to determine what customers want, the Nuremberg Patent Information Centre carried out a survey in late 1999 of some 1500 small- and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing industry. About one-third of those questioned already knew of the services provided by the patent information centre, while the remainder had not previously been customers of the centre. 12 groups of questions gathered information on topics including the following: type and frequency of use of patent information, familiarity and use of various information media, assessment of information facilities, assessment of Internet information services, particular obstacles to patent information, technical equipment of the enterprises, information services required in future, and training and advisory service requirements. The paper summarises and analyses the results of the survey, and draws conclusions for the future development of services. It confirms the ongoing trend towards the fast and paperless supply of patent copies. The paper notes that the majority of those surveyed had some awareness of the possibilities and limitations of Internet databases and of the commercial databases; concomitantly many of them welcome assistance from patent information experts as their search needs develop, as well as more training to improve their own skills.