WIPO Launches New Search Facility For PATENTSCOPE Database to Support COVID-19 Innovation Efforts

Geneva, April 21, 2020
PR/2020/850

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today launched a new search functionality for its global patent database, PATENTSCOPE, to facilitate the location and retrieval of information contained in published patent documents that may be useful for innovators developing new technologies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WIPO COVID-19 search facility of PATENTSCOPE will provide scientists, engineers, public health policymakers, industry actors and members of the general public with an easily accessible source of intelligence for improving the detection, prevention, and treatment of diseases such as the novel coronavirus.

"Given the drastic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on human health and welfare, the world needs easy access to every bit of information available for the successful innovation in the pursuit of vaccines, treatments and cures. Patent documents are rich sources of technological know-how acquired by humans over the centuries," said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. "WIPO's new patent-searching tool will help disseminate information on technologies that others may build upon for the global fight against COVID-19."

At the time of release, the new PATENTSCOPE search facility provides dozens of search queries specially curated by patent information experts who have identified technological areas relevant to the detection, prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

The new facility allows users to search, retrieve and analyze valuable sources of specifically selected technologies in 10 languages with little language barrier. WIPO will also plan to organize webinars to share tips of patent information search on PATENTSCOPE.

About PATENTSCOPE

PATENTSCOPE contains over 83 million patent and related documents, provides comprehensive searching of patent information with multi-lingual search capabilities and an automatic translation system that uses artificial intelligence technologies for highly accurate results.

Via the new COVID-19 functionality, thousands of documents deemed of potential use to innovators working on COVID-19 mitigation efforts would be returned.

WIPO's COVID-19 response

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, WIPO's operations have continued at near-full capacity even as staff move to remote work. On April 15, the Organization unveiled a new dashboard that allows member state representatives and other stakeholders to monitor the Organization's operations during the Covid-19 pandemic, providing a view of the evolution of WIPO’s global intellectual property (IP) services and its financial performance on a month‑by‑month basis.

In an April 7 public broadcast, Mr. Gurry discussed WIPO's record-setting 2019 results for its IP services for patents, trademarks and industrial designs, and arbitration and mediation services, as well as treaty-ratification activity and financial results. Mr. Gurry also discussed COVID-19's likely impact on WIPO in 2020.