Patent offices apply XML

In an effort to standardize the way people apply electronically for patents, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, the Japan Patent Office, and the World Intellectual Property Organization are collaborating to create an XML-based patent application system. The offices will craft DTDs (document-type definitions)--documents that tell browsers and other applications how to interpret various XML (Extensible Markup Language) dialects. Slated for completion in December, the DTDs will benefit the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), an international patent system joined by 111 nations. The USPTO said it will accept patent applications using the DTDs in October 2002, and begin publishing patent applications and grants with the new DTDs in January 2003.