Re: New Online Italian Patent Database

Dear colleagues, dear Antonio,
it was my intention to inform the community that there is something new on
the Italian patent information panorama, of course I have no particular
private interest in promoting any database, being Simba or Fildata. In a
short communicate I wanted not to discuss the many advantages and
deficiencies of a new born service.
I apologize if someone could have understood that this service is the
solution of all the big problems we have in this field in Italy, even if
something is changing now. To avoid any misunderstunding, I should add that
at the time being the most reliable databases of Italian patents/models in
my opinion are still private databases like Fildata and not the official
database made from UIBM and Infocamere.
In fact I have used the words "not 100% reliable" since in my test I have
discovered some errors, particularly in the titles, therefore I will
continue to use an Italian private database as a primary source and Simba
only as a secondary source of information.

Nevertheless, the convenience to use an online service make me using this
database for preliminary information, cross searches, check on the data of a
specific patent application, and so on.
Since the database is produced by Infocamere (the IT company of the Italian
chambers of commerce, where applications are filed), there is a good
updating with regard to the application data. Further processing depends on
the UIBM and Antonio is right when he criticizes the quality and updating of
the data provided by the UIBM itself.

Besides, the database Simba (this is its name, please simply google for
INFOCAMERE and SIMBA and find many references about it) does exist since
many years. It is the database made and used formerly inside only by the
Italian chambers of commerce system and, until now, it was available to the
public only at each chamber of commerce or at other few public offices for a
limited time and depending on the availability of the employees.
Since a couple of months the system is available online from remote users,
it runs, I'm currently using it as a normal user now, and this is the
unquestionable news, even if it has still some inconveniences (for example
you cannot subscribe the contract online but at your chamber of commerce
only, the payment system is not very clear, and so on).
I was actually surprised by the launch (you can call it just "start" if you
prefer) first because I was in contact with a couple of responsibles for the
project and they have always talked about a quite undefinite future launch,
second because I believed (I hoped) that they would have taken advantage
from the suggestions of the users before launching the service, with
particular regard to the unsatisfactory search page, the costs system, and
other minor things, while of course it was not possible even in a dream to
image that they could review 25 years of patent information already included
in the database.

At the time being as a general source of online patent information from
Italy we have just the database of utility models by Fildata, the quite
incomplete data available on Inpadoc and DWPI, the old (and not more updated
since many years) ITALPAT database on Questel.Orbit plus something randomly
available on the Esp_at_cenet.
In my opinion therefore a new online source of information about the whole
Industrial Property recorded at the UIBM should be regarded as really
wellcome by the users and an incentive for competitors to improve their
services.

Best regards
Guido Moradei

STUDIO MORADEI - VIA SANVITO SILVESTRO 43 - 21100 VARESE - ITALY
TEL. +39 0332 235302 - FAX +39 0332 282859 - guido.moradei_at_quaestio.it
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Received on Thu Feb 17 2005 - 02:45:51