Patent Information User Groups in Europe join together

I'm pleased to share an article on our sister organization in Europe, Confederacy of European Patent Information User Groups (CEPIUG), written by one of my colleagues, Anne-Gaëlle Darmont, and PIUG member Aalt van de Kuilen. It covers the history, current and future goals of the European patent searching groups:

Patent Information User Groups in Europe join together: Foundation of the Confederacy of European Patent Information User Groups (CEPIUG).
Anne-Gaëlle Darmont, Michele Fattori, Gerben Gieling and Aalt van de Kuilen, World Patent Information 31(3), September 2009, pages 216-218.

Abstract

The Confederacy of European Patent Information User Groups (CEPIUG) was founded in 2008 to promote the sharing of experiences and expertise in patent searching across Europe.

CEPIUG currently comprises patent information user groups of seven different European countries and is, of course, open to new members. Besides the exchange of information, CEPIUG also seeks to promote the coordination of European efforts in the fields of education and training of new entrants into the profession of patent searching, as well as trying to identify a suitable certification scheme for patent information professionals.