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Patents

Your guide to finding, understanding and using patents

A Patent is legal and technical document that describes an invention and grants a property right to the inventor for a limited period. Patents are an important source of technical and scientific information, as they are often the first source of published information on a new technology. It has been estimated that over 70% of the information published in patents is never published elsewhere.

Finding Patents

Got an idea? 

Newcastle City Library is a designated PATLIB UK centre and they are the only library providing specialist patent information between Leeds and Glasgow. The Centre is supported by the UK Intellectual Property Office and the European Patent Office.

They provide a range of services to support you through trade marks, copyright and patents.

  • Information packs and specialists leaflets
  • Free Intellectual Property Surgeries; booking required
  • Access to historical British patent abstracts and name indexes from 1617 to 1930.
  • Patent and Trade mark searches; please contact the centre for more information.

Online resources