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Chapter 6 The patent system : focussing on the fundamentals; Chapter 7 The innovation patent system; Chapter 8 Business methods and software patents.

The Patent Information Users Group, Inc. (PIUG) – The International Society for Patent Information is a not-for-profit organization for individuals having a professional, scientific or technical interest in patent information. The mission of PIUG is to support, assist, improve and enhance the success of patent information professionals through leadership, education, communication, advocacy and networking. Through this international forum and discussion, we also promote and improve the retrieval, analysis and dissemination of patent information.

The PIUG membership brochure offers concise information about PIUG and its many benefits for the patent information community.

PIUG has over 500 active members representing 24 countries including the United States. The largest concentration of members is from the USA, Europe and Japan. PIUG members are patent attorneys, patent agents, licensing professionals, patent information researchers, patent information vendors, and patent information and documentation experts from the U.S. and abroad.

We have nearly 300 patent information professionals who do patent searching for corporations, over 100 patent information consultants, over 80 patent information professionals who do patent searching for law firms, and about 12 searchers based in academic institutions. We are employed in performing patentability, freedom-to-practice, and validity patent searches for Fortune 500 / multinational companies, leading universities and major IP law firms. In recent years, PIUG members have also engaged in patent information analysis as a strategic innovation tool.

PIUG has an active Discussion Forum that is featured on the PIUG wiki, a global collaborative tool with with over 1800 subscribers worldwide and produces a newsletter four times a year. In addition, we have presence in professional and social networking channels, such as LinkedIn and Twitter. The PIUG newsletter contains members' articles, salary survey results, search tips, meeting trip reports, and information on patent database vendor and producer developments. Get to know us and meet the PIUG Officers.