Thomson Reuters Partners With The World Intellectual Property Organization To Drive Global Innovation In Developing Nations

Researchers in developing countries to receive free access to Thomson Innovation, the market-leading patent research solution

London, England–The IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters announced today a partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to launch a program giving industrial property offices and government and academic researchers in developing countries free access to global patent information. The aim of the program, which is due to launch in September 2010, is to foster global innovation by enabling the development of solutions to the world’s technical challenges.

“On this World Intellectual Property Day, we are honored to partner with WIPO to enable innovation globally,” said Rob Willows, vice president of patent office relations for Thomson Reuters. “The intellectual capital of a country should not be limited by its economic status, and with this program, inventors in developing countries will be able to leverage the world’s leading patent research and analysis solution, Thomson Innovation, so they can innovate more effectively.”

This partnership is to be modeled after WIPO’s “Access to Research for Development and Innovation” (aRDi) initiative, which provides free online access to major scientific and technical journals by not-for-profit institutions in the least-developed countries, and low-cost access to industrial property offices in developing countries. Patent content is a source of rich information when doing scientific research, as the majority of what is contained in a patent application is not yet publicly available elsewhere, and such access will significantly enhance the innovative ability of these regions of the world.

Thomson Innovation, the premier intellectual property research and analysis platform from Thomson Reuters with patent, scientific literature, business and news content, will be made available to researchers through the program.

The goals of World IP Day are to raise awareness for how patents, copyrights, trademarks and designs impact daily life; increase understanding of how protecting IP rights helps promote creativity and innovation; celebrate creativity and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies; and, encourage respect for the IP rights of others.

About the World Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest. WIPO was established by the WIPO Convention in 1967 with a mandate from its Member States to promote the protection of IP throughout the world through cooperation among states and in collaboration with other international organizations. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.

About Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. For more information, go to thomsonreuters.com.