Electronic resources in ip sphere as an instrument to support inventors and innovators: foreign experience

Creating advanced scientific and technical results is not by itself sufficient for providing stable innovative development – their transformation into products, demanded by the market is necessary. To become such products results of intellectual activity need to be protected by intellectual property rights, which are subsequently disposed of. For a number of actors, engaged in research and innovative activity, however, this task meets certain difficulties: public research organizations, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises lack financial and management resources necessary for attracting specialists in intellectual property, thus the process of acquiring and operating IP rights is complicated. Meanwhile, modern information technologies may facilitate support of the named organizations in intellectual property management by means of specialized electronic systems and databases. There are several reasons for a wide use of information technologies in providing inventors and innovators with patent information and related support. Firstly, modern technologies eliminate geographical obstacles in accessing resources and institutes (for example, patent libraries, patent office, where the application is to be filed etc.). Secondly, time needed for patent search and analysis, submission of documents is significantly reduced. Finally, the opportunities for providing researchers and innovators with the free of charge or cheap support in intellectual property issues are expanded. Analysis of industrialized countries` experience of using electronic resources in the sphere of intellectual property displays that databases maintenance and electronic distribution has already become an essential element of the authorized organizations` activity. The current trends include specializing databases and finding new spheres of electronic resources application, such as intellectual property valuation, commercialization of research results, training process. The article reveals the best practices in this sphere.