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Patent search: free databases

Patent databases cover all areas of technology and contain inventions stretching from the 19th century to today. They are a source of ideas for innovators, scientists and engineers the world over, and also contain useful legal information such as whether a patent is in force or not, and where. The European Patent Office recommends the following free databases for patent research.

esp@cenet

esp@cenet is Europe's network of patent databases. Its simple interface is available in most European languages and has been carefully tailored for use by people who don't have a lot of patent searching experience. It contains over 60 million patent documents from all over the world.

Open Patent Services

Open Patent Services (OPS) deliver production stable and high quality raw patent data via Web Services.

Register Plus and WebRegMT

Register Plus is the place where the EPO stores all the publicly available information it has on European patent applications as they pass through the grant procedure. If you are interested in tracking specific European patent applications, you can sign up for the free WebRegMT alert service, which will automatically send an e-mail alert every time something happens to any of these applications in the course of the grant procedure.

ESPACE EP

ESPACE EP is the ideal database for expert patent searchers wanting to search European patent documents. Using MIMOSA software, users can search the full-text of the most recent four weeks of EP-A and B publications through a powerful search engine. Allowing users carry out unrestricted full-text searches of EP publications is an example of the EPO's "barrier-free" patent information policy in action. Register your e-mail address and you will receive instructions on how to access the free MIMOSA search engine.