Intellectual Property & Patents

A patent landscape is an analysis of patent data that reveals business, scientific, and technological trends. Landscape reports typically focus on a single geographic region, industry, or technology. For more information on how to use and create patent landscapes, see the following articles.

• Bubela, T., Gold, E. R., Graff, G. D., Cahoy, D. R., Nicol, D., & Castle, D. (2013). Patent landscaping for life sciences innovation: Toward consistent and transparent practices. Nature Biotechnology, 31(3), 202-207.
• Rees, P. (2004). Patent pictures. Research Information, Jan/Feb.
• Trippe, A. J. (2015). Guidelines for Preparing Patent Landscape Reports. Geneva: World Intellectual Property Organization.

The following databases have useful visualization capabilities.

• AcclaimIP
  Provided by TLA, this database is for advanced patent searching. Ask your supervisor about how to access information.
• PatentsView search tool (USPTO)
  Allows you to interact with nearly 40 years of data on patenting activity in the US. Use the tool to explore technological, regional, and individual-level trends through several search filters and multiple view options.
• Patent Lens

  A public patent database that indexes 90 million patent documents from 90 national and regional patent offices. Full-text EP, US, and WO documents are available.
• PatentScope (from WIPO)
  Explore 50 million patent documents from more than 41 regional and national patent offices. Major national collections include the U.S., Canada, China, European Patent Office, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the U.K.