The European Patent Office (“EPO”) recently provided details as to how its new patent information policy will make documentation more accessible to all. In the EPO article (link below), Curt Edfjall, the Vice President of the EPO, stated that “ensuring barrier-free public access to the information contained in patent documents” is a “key element” of the recently approved new patent information policy. The policy has the effect of making patent documents more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses, and at a recent EPO Patent Information Conference, Edfjall stated that he would like to see “an emphasis on making patent data understandable, and on removing any remaining barriers that exist for those needing access to it.” He also outlined a number of areas that the EPO will be focusing on, including the facilitation of “high quality patent applications” through “better access to data,” and the development of “new tools for less experienced searchers.” Additional comments, as well as external links to the European Patent Network and additional information regarding European patent practice, are available at the link below.

EPO News Article: LINK