특허정보의 유용성에 대한 소고 ―기술혁신에의 기여를 중심으로―

Patent information means all information in relation to patent applications and issued patents. Therefore it contains very valuable information for researchers and scientists in the process of developing technical innovations. Patent information conveys up-to-date technologies since patents are issued to novel inventions. Patent information is available in vast area of technologies because patentable subject matters include inventions in almost all industrial fields. However patent information is not utilized as much as expected in research and development process. This paper contains some suggestions to increase usefulness of patent information. Descriptions of inventions should reveal all information regarding the inventions to diffuse the achievements for further developments. Inventors provide information barely sufficient to be granted patents under the current law. Experts outside the intellectual property office should be able to participate freely in the examination process of patent applications for quality improvement. Papers published in scientific journals are reviewed and criticized openly by peers to reserve high reputation. Some scientists criticize the recent pro-patent strategies arguing that more intellectual property rights may lead paradoxically to fewer useful products. The current patent system must be revised to increase the usefulness of patent information so that patents accelerate technological innovation, not deter.