Derwent World Patents Index
| Company type | Database |
|---|---|
| Industry | Intellectual property, Patent information |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Patent database |
| Owner | Clarivate Analytics |
The Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI) is a comprehensive repository containing patent applications and grants issued by 44 patent offices worldwide. Compiled in English by a dedicated editorial team, it offers succinct abstracts that outline the invention's characteristics and applications. These abstracts are organized using an alphanumeric classification system to facilitate streamlined searching.
Each entry in the database corresponds to a patent family, which consolidates patent documents filed internationally to safeguard a single invention. Central to each family is a Basic Patent—usually the earliest published document—with related filings categorized as Equivalent Patents. The DWPI encompasses approximately 20 million unique inventions, representing tens of millions of individual patents, and incorporates close to one million new inventions each year. Since 2008, the format of the Basic Patent Identifier has been enhanced to accommodate up to 3.6 million records annually, reflecting the rise in distinct patent submissions.
Basic format
- Primary data – digital representation of the original patent document
- Bibliographic details – standardized identifiers including patent numbers, inventors, filing dates, and more
- DWPI Abstract – clear English description highlighting the invention’s innovative aspects and benefits
- DWPI manual code / Indexing – specialized classification system denoting novel features and functional uses
Clarivate Analytics, previously part of Thomson Reuters, is responsible for producing the DWPI.
Derwent Manual Codes
Derwent provides exclusive patent classification codes, termed manual codes, which cover fields such as chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering disciplines.
Derwent Assignee Codes
To improve recognition of leading patent owners, Derwent allocates standardized four-letter codes to major patent-holding companies within DWPI records.
History
The Derwent World Patents Index has its roots in the Delphion patent database, which was developed prior to the advent of the World Wide Web. Thomson Reuters initially acquired Delphion before transferring ownership to Clarivate in 2016.