Patent Information Users'Group Inc. - The International Society of Patent Information

PIUG

The International Society for Patent Information

Board of Directors

Cynthia Barcelon Yang - Chair
Doreen Alberts - Vice Chair
Denise Fobare-Deponio - Secretary
Ken Koubek - Treasurer
Suzanne Robins - Immediate Past Chair
Edlyn Simmons - Director at Large
Heidi Stone - Director at Large

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.

PIUG has approximately 700 active members representing 27 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 20 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 nearly 800 subscribers world-wide and produce a newsletter twice 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.

Notice on use of PIUG Name and Logo: No one may use the PIUG name or logo for any promotional or commercial purpose or any other purpose without the prior written consent of the PIUG Board of Directors.

News

PIUG 2010 Annual Conference to be held in Baltimore on May 1-6, 2010 - 16 June 2009
At the PIUG 2009 Annual Conference, announcement was made that the PIUG 2010 Annual Conference would be held from Saturday, May 1st, through Thursday, May 6th, 2010, at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel (401 West Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21201) located in Baltimore's beautiful Inner Harbor. The theme is "Moving Targets: Current & Future Best Practices and Opportunities for Patent Information Professionals." Save the date and watch the PIUG Discussion Forum for details. We welcome all who wish to get involved and volunteer to help make the 2010 meeting a success!

Full Program for the 2009 PIUG Annual Conference in San Antonio is available - 17 April 2009
The 2009 Annual Conference on "Searching for Patents Beyond Your Borders" will be held at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio, Texas, on May 2-7, 2009. See details on the conference webpages including the full program and PIUG sponsors, exhibitors, and workshop hosts and Conference registration. To renew your membership, or to join PIUG, please go to the membership page.

Join the new PIUG Discussion Forum - 1 February 2009
The new PIUG Discussion Forum became available to the PIUG community on February 1st. It is featured on the new PIUG wiki, a global collaborative tool that was implemented in December 2008. See the Wiki Initial Signup Quick Reference Guide for help and "join" the Discussion forum as explained in the 4.5-minute micro-tutorial available on the Wiki Training Webinars web page. The popular discussion list was retired and its archives are available on the PIUG List Archives web page.

New to the patent information field? Want to attend the 2009 PIUG Annual Conference to learn more? Apply now for the Brian Stockdale Memorial Award! - 31 January 2009
Anyone with less than 3 years experience in the patent information field can apply for the Brian Stockdale Memorial Award, which consists of free registration to the PIUG Annual Conference and associated workshops plus up to $2000 to cover travel expenses. If you qualify – or if you have a colleague who does – check out the details at the 2009 Stockdale Award webpage. The application deadline is March 7, 2009. Previous applicants may reapply by providing an updated essay.

Annual Membership Fees Increased - 5 November 2008
Effective January 1, 2009, the one-year membership fee is $50 (US) and includes the member benefits listed on the PIUG membership page. A discounted annual membership fee of $25 (US) is available for full-time students, full-time retirees and those unemployed at the time of renewal. Note that any PIUG member who renews for 2009 before December 31, 2008 will be able to do so at the 2008 rates of $40 and $20 for full and discounted annual memberships, respectively.

PIUG 2008 Northeast Conference Papers - 1 November 2008
The PIUG Northeast Conferences was a tremendous success again this year. Copies of papers are available for PIUG members-only via this link. Schedule, sponsors, exhibitor and workshop information is still available on the 2008 Northeast Conference webpage.

PIUG Boston Biotech Meeting on February 11, 2009 - Registration Now Open - 31 October 2008
We are very pleased to announce the third annual PIUG 2009 Boston Biotechnology meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 2008 hosted by Amgen, Cambridge, MA. The title of this one-day meeting is "Sequence Searching and Beyond: Build a Better Searcher, Build a Better Search." See the meeting page for the registration link and more detailed information on presenting a technical talk (call for papers), sponsorship opportunities, and travel and venue details. Due to space considerations this meeting is limited to 100 attendees (pre-registration required; no walk-ins).

2008 PIUG Annual Conference Videos Available Online - 26 August 2008
Purchase of PIUG Annual Conference Video (2008 and 2007) are available online as well as DVDs from 2008, 2007 and 2006. Non-members make purchases here. PIUG members receive significant discounts available from the members-only video purchase page.

PIUG 2009 Annual Conference to be held in San Antonio on May 2-7, 2009 - 27 May 2008
Last week at the PIUG 2008 Annual Conference, announcement was made that the PIUG 2009 Annual Conference would be held from Saturday, May 2nd, through Thursday, May 7th, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio (123 Losoya, San Antonio, Texas). Save the date and watch the PIUG Discussion List for details. We welcome anyone who wishes to get involved and volunteer to help make the 2009 meeting a success!

Annual Membership Rates Update - 10 January 2008
As of January 1, 2008 new membership category has been established with a reduced annual membership fee of $20 (US) for students, retirees and those currently unemployed. In order to qualify for this discounted membership rate, one must either be a full-time student, retired full-time, or unemployed at the time of renewal. The regular annual membership fee for those not qualifying for the discounted membership rates described above is $40 (US). New and renewing members should use the the PIUG membership webpage to be eligible for all the benefits of PIUG membership.

PIUG Meeting Workshop Survey 2007 Results Available - 21 December 2007
A survey of the PIUG membership was conducted in November 2007 to gather information related to the workshops offered at our meetings. The intent of the survey is to determine if we are meeting the expectations of our membership (or their managers/companies) and to learn what changes we need to consider for future planning. Results are available to PIUG members via the Members-only webpage.

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Webmaster: Tom Wolff (piugwebmaster @ gmail.com): – Updated: 2 May 2009