REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 28, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today announced an agreement with Derwent Information, the industry leader in the provision of international patent information, to develop international patent database solutions based on technology using the Microsoft® Windows NT® operating system. These solutions will focus on making global patent information easier to access, use and share. Terms of the agreement, announced in Washington, D.C., at the Online World Conference and Exhibition, were not disclosed.
The technology foundation for these solutions includes proprietary Windows NT-based client/server software as well as an existing Microsoft patent database of more than 5 million documents.
Building on Microsoft’s technical experience and Derwent’s patent expertise, the commercial products will incorporate international patent information in a Windows NT-based environment, using Livelink Search full-text retrieval search software from Open Text of Waterloo, Ontario. The result will be a powerful and flexible full patent database designed to meet the needs of both novice and experienced patent searchers who want to use client/server technology or the Internet for sharing patent information within their organizations.
“The astounding pace of technological advancement has increased the importance of having immediate access to international patent information and the ability to share critical information within an organization,”
said Jack Lee, product development director at Derwent Information.
“We are confident this agreement with Microsoft will result in a patent information solution that will significantly change the way today’s information professionals and users access, use and share international patent information.”
“The patent information industry is undergoing a major technology shift from older, mainframe-based systems to PC-based client/server systems,”
said Michael Cooper, director of patent systems at Microsoft.
“When we looked for a company to work with to deliver world-class patent information solutions, Derwent was clearly the industry leader. This new data search-and-retrieval capability will enable users to perform real-time, iterative searches of patent data, making those searches not only faster, but more comprehensive and useful.”
The first product from the agreement is expected to be commercially available in the first quarter of 1997.
For more than 40 years, Derwent Information, part of the Thomson Corp., has been the world’s leading provider of international patent and scientific information. Derwent Information provides vital solutions to business, research institutions and patent offices throughout the world.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. If you are interested in viewing additional information on Derwent Information, please visit the Derwent Information Web page at (http://www.derwent.com/derwent/) .
