A New South African Online Patents Database now Available on WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization has acted swiftly in implementing resolutions that were taken during the establishment of the digitisation of South African Patents, adopted by CIPRO in September 2009. WIPO through its online patents database PatentScope has now added a new search tool that includes patent collections from South Africa. Other patent collections available on this new search tool are those from ARIPO, Cuba, Israel, Mexico and Vietnam. This search tool also allows one to search for well over 1.6 million international applications also known as PCT applications.

Features include flexible search syntax, automatic word stemming and relevance ranking complemented with graphical results. The launch is a shot in the arm for the South African National System of Innovation, as it will open, the country's intellectual property to the rest of world and increase the potential of SA-based patents for commercialisation and/or funding by international entities. To visit this new search tool click here .

To test its functionality you can use this example, Patent Application No.: 2007/04160, Titled: Treatment of Parasitic infections in Humans and Animals by inventors from the University of Cape Town. Simply type the application number on the "search for" text box, and only check South Africa on the list of countries.