Can we rely on the Internet as searching facility for patent applications ?
Does the information available at the Internet constitute a bar against granting a patent ?
Is publication in the Internet considered as publication as stipulated in the various Patent Laws ?
There is one major question which will affect the patentability of inventions in so many countries including Egypt.
In order for an invention to be patentable it must be new and no patent may be granted if the invention was known or publicly used by any party, or patented or described in a printed publication any country of the world.
It is quite easy now for any patent searching authority to get access to any other patent searching authority. In other words, the Egyptian Patent Office can get access to the US patent & trade mark office and effect a search in the records of the US Patent Office. In most cases, the Egyptian Patent Office locates some relevant or even identical patents.
