<img alt="" height="1" width="1" />[b]Wikipedia Citations in Patents Up 59 Percent[/b]
ResourceShelf (blog)
The number of US patents issued last year that contain one or more references to Wikipedia articles totalled 809, a 59 percent jump from 2008. ...
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I hate it when articles claim a percentage increase based on an extremely low portion and don't even bother to state the overall numbers. Not told in the article is that 500,000 patents are filed each year. 800 cite Wikipedia, expressly against the rules. Surely of the 500,000 filed thousands are without merit, and this includes most or all those that cite Wikipedia, because serious applicants would follow the rules. Interpretation: a marginal number of bad applications cite Wikipedia. The total number of patents referring to Wikipedia is less than 1:600. Because the absolute number is so small a very few additional uses amounts to a huge percentage increase.
QUOTE(GlassBeadGame @ Sat 9th January 2010, 2:34am) 
I hate it when articles claim a percentage increase based on an extremely low portion and don't even bother to state the overall numbers. Not told in the article is that 500,000 patents are filed each year. 800 cite Wikipedia, expressly against the rules. Surely of the 500,000 filed thousands are without merit, and this includes most or all those that cite Wikipedia, because serious applicants would follow the rules. Interpretation: a marginal number of bad applications cite Wikipedia. The total number of patents referring to Wikipedia is less than 1:600. Because the absolute number is so small a very few additional uses amounts to a huge percentage increase.
Oh, this is on another thread.
I have to say that in my limited experience, examiners cite it very frequently as a reference consulted--usually as general background. I would estimate that this number is in the double digits, but I've not had a hand in very many prosecutions.
I believe that this number only lists those issued with a reference to Wikipedia on the face of the issued patent, a much lower number.
If I were interested in arriving at such a statistic, I would do a randomized sample of file wrappers. The USPTO would probably cut me off before I could download enough histories to form a meaningful percentage, however.
Maybe not a terrible use of spare time...
QUOTE(One @ Sat 9th January 2010, 3:57am)
QUOTE(GlassBeadGame @ Sat 9th January 2010, 2:34am)
500,000 patents are filed each year.
I have to say that in my limited experience, examiners cite it very frequently as a reference consulted--usually as general background. I would estimate that this number is in the double digits
I cannot follow this at all. In the double digits means I suppose fewer than 100 since 100 is triple digits. Can fewer than 100 out of 500,000 be described as "very frequently"?
Is there a Wikipedia article on the use of Wikipedia in patent applications?
QUOTE(Trick cyclist @ Sat 9th January 2010, 6:04pm)
QUOTE(One @ Sat 9th January 2010, 3:57am)
QUOTE(GlassBeadGame @ Sat 9th January 2010, 2:34am)
500,000 patents are filed each year.
I have to say that in my limited experience, examiners cite it very frequently as a reference consulted--usually as general background. I would estimate that this number is in the double digits
I cannot follow this at all. In the double digits means I suppose fewer than 100 since 100 is triple digits. Can fewer than 100 out of 500,000 be described as "very frequently"?
Is there a Wikipedia article on the use of Wikipedia in patent applications?
No.
By double digits, I mean that I would estimate (on my limited experience) that Wikipedia is cited by examiners for background information (not prior art) in over 10% of all patent prosecutions.
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