The Patent Information Centre (PIC) operates on the basis of an agreement between Lodz University of Technology and the Polish Patent Office. PIC belongs to the elite PATLIB European Network of Patent Information Centres and provides services in accordance with the standards of the European Patent Office (EPO).
The centre provides services free of charge on-site via telephone and e-mail (e-mail contact recommended). It cooperates with the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland and the European Patent Office (EPO).
The Patent Information Centre provides access to:
- patent descriptions,
- journals,
- literature related to industrial property protection.
PIC provides information on patented or patent-pending:
- inventions,
- trademarks,
- other objects subject to protection.
The centre provides basic information on:
- the filing of the patent application,
- the amount of fees,
- where to go for formalities in accordance with national and international procedures (UPRP, EPO, WIPO, OHIM).
The PIC advises on the protection of industrial property, in particular on the protection of:
- inventions,
- utility models,
- industrial designs,
- trademarks.
In addition, the Centre:
- assists in searching for patent descriptions;
- accepts orders to search for them in available patent information sources;
- assists in examining the state of the art, determining patentability and purity.
The PIC does not employ a patent attorney.
Employees of TUL Library PIC:
- participate in training courses organised by the PPO and EPO to improve their competences and the quality of their services;
- organise meetings among patent information centres to exchange experience;
- distribute publications of the Polish Patent Office free of charge.
The Patent Information Centre provides:
- computer workstations with Internet connection for searching patent information sources;
- public databases recommended by the European Patent Office and the Polish Patent Office.
The Centre conducts patent information training courses and workshops for employees, BA, MA and PhD students of Lodz University of Technology, as well as for people from outside the University and business entities interested in industrial property protection. Training courses are adapted to the needs and expectations of the users in terms of date, place, content and form every time.
Examples of training topics:
- patent search methods, use of patent databases;
- importance and protection of patents;
- protection of industrial property (inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks);
- national patent, European patent, procedure for obtaining a patent;
- basic information on utility model, trade mark, trademark.