History

On May 20, 1896 the State Council adopted the “Provision on privileges for inventions and improvements and the Committee for technical affairs by the Department for Trade and Manufactories”. This date is regarded as the date of foundation of the Committee and of the Library.

According to the Provision on inventions as of 1919, there was established a Committee for invention affairs, under which supervision the Patent Library was placed. Since that moment its functions and tasks considerably widened. From a narrow departmental library – only for patent examiners – it began to turn into a public one.

In 1932 the Library was included into the list of Major State Libraries. In 1946 the Library had been given a name the All-Union Patent and Technical Library (VPTB) and in 1950 it became completely open public library.

In 1962 the Library moved to a new building on Berezhkovskaya embankment, 24 where it seats at present. From 1993 to 1995 it bore a name the Russian State Patent Library (RGPB) and was granted a status of the National Library of the Russian Federation. It became a part of the Unified State Patent Service. By the Order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation № 579 as of 17.09.1993 it was reckoned in the major libraries having especial public value. In 1995 it was renamed into the All-Russian Patent and Technical Library by the Committee of the Russian Federation for Patents and Trademarks.

From 1997 VPTB became a structural subdivision of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Federal Institute of Industrial Property”.

VPTB today

At present VPTB is the major center of patent information, a national repository of the State Patent Collection that is open for all interested users. The State Patent Collection is a part of the state resource of scientific and technical information of Russia intended for information provision of the state policy in the field of protection of the objects of industrial property. VPTB implements on the base of the State Patent Collection the information provision of examination and other types of Rospatent activity, including Rospatent function as the International Searching Authority and the International Preliminary Examination Authority.

VPTB provides on the base of the State Patent Collection information resources to a wide number of users. The user information support is provided directly in VPTB at different specialized departments, in a “query – response” mode using different communication means (telephone, fax, regular and electronic mail) and in a remote access mode by posting information on FIPS Internet website.

VBTP is a methodical center in the field of patent information, it promulgates the knowledge in the field of patent information, participates in WIPO International Project on creation of Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) in the Russian Federation.