Construction of Intellectual Property Literacy Education Mode in University Libraries

2.1 IPLE in European and American Universities

The patent system in European and American countries was established earlier than other countries, and the development of IPLE services is relatively mature. Patent education in colleges and universities is strengthened through policy guidance, system building, and faculty training.

The Patent Information Centers (PATLIB) in Europe provides various IP information services, such as IP information consulting, patent analysis, and various IP training (Yan 2019). The European Patent Office (EPO) has established the European Patent Academy, which cooperates closely with countries and international organizations and institutions to develop education and training plans related to IP rights in Europe. In addition to patent-related standardized courses, the European Patent Academy develops education and training programs and provides specialized or personalized courses tailored to specific customer needs (Wu 2017; Zhang and Zhou 2019).

In 2016, the IP Awareness Network (IPAN) commissioned the National University of Singapore to investigate the campus knowledge and policy practice of IP in British higher education institutions (Zhang and Bao 2022). According to the investigation, 69 % of students and 32 % of faculty were unaware of the IP curriculum in their university, while 76 % of faculty supported the inclusion of IP curriculum in the education system. In 2017, the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) launched the IP education project and established an expert network composed of the Ministry of Education and the National Intellectual Property Office of EU member countries to develop a common approach to IP education. The network has been constantly strengthening the connection with IP training in higher education (Zhang and Bao 2022).

Elsewhere, the United Kingdom has facilitated the patent education in colleges and universities through policy guidance and established a special network education base (Tan, Cao, and He 2018). Elsewhere, Arias-Coello et al. (2020) studied copyright literacy in Spanish libraries and focused on their knowledge, opinions, and experiences in IP legislation and training. Outside of Europe, Schmidt (2015) analyzed and compared the results of a survey distributed within the United States with the course content of the current ALA certified LIS program collected from online courses in the United States, in order to better provide IPLE for graduates to meet the upcoming IP demands in the job. Rodriguez, Greer, and Shipman (2014) also discussed the importance of incorporating copyright education as a part of the overall information literacy curriculum, and offered online courses specifically designed for the development of creative content and creative abilities related to copyright. Hawkridge et al. (2010) discussed whether the curriculum of British universities is influenced by the ownership of IP rights in Open Education Resources (OERs) and explored the issue of IP in the creation of open education resources in higher education in the UK.

In the United States, all colleges and universities have opened patent courses, with research universities mainly offering patent education as elective courses (Tan, Cao, and He 2018). The Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRC) in the United States are designated by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to provide services and assistance to local inventors, enterprises, and other publics and disseminate patent and trademark information. A PTRC must provide public accessibility to products and services, offer patent and trademark training, and provide reference assistance and outreach to the public (Lei and Tian 2020). Huang, Xiao, and Li (2021) investigated and analyzed the IPLE in 30 national IP demonstration universities and 10 university libraries in Switzerland, Sweden and the United States.

A report by the Center for Intellectual Property Understanding (CIPU) released in April 2021 pointed out that none of the top 20 American business schools in 2020 required or had core IP courses (Zhang and Bao 2022). CIPU believes that the problems revealed in the report are not only within the United States but also for all developing and developed countries that recognize the significant role of IP rights in their business success. Gubby (2015) claims that patent information research should not be restricted to law school graduates but should also be appropriately extended to business school students, and also proposes an education method to cultivate abilities in IP assessment and protection.

In summary, IPLE in European and American universities has received widespread attention, been extensively developed, and become one of the core contents of information literacy and innovation capacity. Many universities have set up intellectual property courses or modules aimed at cultivating students’ intellectual property awareness and related skills; the IPLE courses emphasize the combination of theory and practice, using various forms of education and service to enhance students’ intellectual property awareness and innovation capacity.

2.2 IPLE in Chinese Universities and University Libraries

Research on IPLE in Chinese colleges and universities has focused on two main aspects: IPLE services provided for all students by university libraries or University Intellectual Property Information Service Centers, and IPLE provided by specific schools for professional students.

In the first aspect, researchers have provided an overview of the current IP service situation and overall framework of Chinese university libraries, including education and training (Liu and Li 2020; Liu and Yu 2021; Zhang et al. 2020). Taking Chongqing University Library as an example, Chang et al. (2021) constructed a multi-level IPLE mode. Elsewhere, Wang et al. (2020) built an IP information service training course system with five modules for four groups of Chinese university library directors, subject librarians, scientific researchers, and students. Another example is Er and Ma, who proposed to attach importance to the implementation strategy of IP literacy curriculum education including curriculum content and curriculum reform (Er and Ma 2020). Furthermore, Wu et al. (2019) analyzed the problems in patent literacy education in Chinese universities, and proposed a patent information literacy education method that meets different users’ needs, taking the patent information service practice of a university library in China as an example. Finally, Xu, Zhang, and Bian (2019) found that the IPLE in Chinese university libraries mainly includes lectures and public elective courses, and pointed out that most universities have the problem of a lack of systematic training form and content.

In the second aspect, Deng and Zhou (2020), and Zhou (2018) put forward suggestions on the training mode and path of IP talents in domestic universities. Li (2018) also proposed a multi-level and multi-dimensional patent education training mode, while Jia and Liang (2016) analyzed the IP quality training mode in innovation and entrepreneurship education for college students.

In summary, researches on IPLE in Chinese colleges and universities are aimed at providing effective intellectual property education and training to support innovation and entrepreneurship within the country. The importance of intellectual property literacy education in Chinese universities and university libraries is gradually increasing, but there are still some gaps compared to European and American countries.

The IPLE in Chinese universities is still in its early stages and has not yet formed a systematic and standardized training system. Chinese universities and university libraries are gradually strengthening the promotion and implementation of IPLE, but further improvement of systems, expansion of channels, enhancement of service capabilities, and increased publicity and popularization are needed.

3.1 Introduction to PIZ in German Universities

The PIZ are recognized cooperation partners of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) and members of the European PATLIB network. The PIZnet was established in 1992 to develop patent information centers in German states and promote the dissemination of information related to IP to the public, without profit-oriented goals. There are 19 PIZ regional centers in Germany, of which 12 are located in universities or university libraries, serving not only university teachers and students but also small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), patent agents, and the public around the region (Lei et al. 2021).

The service projects offered by PIZ Regional Centers are based on a cooperation agreement with the DPMA, which lays down the services to be provided by the patent information centers within the framework of cooperation. As the PATLIB centers designated by EPO, the PIZ regional centers also cooperate with EPO under the coordination of DPMA and receive guidance and support from EPO; the PIZ Regional Centers also have the flexibility to add service projects according to the needs of regional users and their own advantages. The distribution of PIZ regional centers in German universities or university libraries is shown in Table 1 below.

3.2 General Situation of IPLE of PIZ in German Universities

The organization and implementation of IPLE activities is an important part of the services of the PIZ in German universities or university libraries. In Germany, patents do not include utility models and designs. The service content in PIZ is not limited to patents, but also includes some other types of IP, such as copyright, designs, semiconductors, supplementary protection certificates, trademarks, and utility models.

The distribution of IP types provided by the above 12 university PIZ regional centers in Germany is shown in Table 2.

Among the 12 PIZ regional centers in universities or university libraries, TU Dresden covers all types of IP services. Most PIZ regional centers provide services related to patents, designs, trademarks, and utility models. Additionally, Irmenau University of Technology covers supplementary protection certificate services, while the University of Magdeburg Library covers copyright services.

The content of IPLE mainly includes various consulting and training services, such as patent database and patent classification search and consultation, patent application and fee consultation, patent research strategy and patent evaluation consultation, teaching discussion, lecture arrangement, etc. Each PIZ center needs to carry out major courses on the subject of IP protection according to the cooperation agreement, provide basic information and materials on IP protection at trade exhibitions, publicize information on IP protection and related legal fields to the public, and customize lectures and training according to needs.

3.3 IPLE Mode of PIZ in German Universities or University Libraries

The IPLE of PIZ regional centers in German universities or university libraries mainly comes from three aspects. At the international level, EPO will provide education and training related to IP because these PIZ regional centers are also PATLIB centers which are designated by EPO; at the national level, DPMA will regularly train all PIZ association members; and at the regional level, PIZ regional centers will arrange regular training or external expert training according to its own regional characteristics. The IPLE mode of PIZ in German universities or university libraries is shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1:

IPLE mode of PIZ in German universities or university libraries.

Education training experts come from EPO, DPMA, and PIZ, while also including patent lawyers. The topics and content of IPLE courses can be tailored to meet the specific needs of users at different levels of development. Each course or seminar will feature a detailed introduction to the lecturer and the training content.

In terms of the users’ level, the education courses at PIZ are generally arranged based on the target audience. For example, online learning resources and materials and programs provided on the EPO website are classified by learning interests (such as Searching for Patents, Applying for a Patent, Law and Practice, and IP in Business) and profile (such as Enterprises, EQE Candidates, Judges, National Patent Offices, Patent Attorneys, Universities, Research Centers, and TTOs). DPMA introduces the topics of lectures and scope of training courses, focusing on specific target groups.

At the PIZ regional center, RWTH Aachen University Library Patent and Standards Center, IPLE courses are designed for PhDs, postdocs, permanent scientific research personnel, technical and administrative personnel, and others. Courses or seminars at PIZ regional centers, such as PATON, specify the applicable level (elementary, intermediate, or advanced), applicable objects (bachelor, master, patent engineer, patent manager, patent researcher, double degree, etc.), training objectives, and needs in the training lectures or course introduction. Additionally, Patent Information Centre Rostock provides IPLE courses for students and scientists at universities, as well as employees of SMEs and research institutions and anyone interested in industrial property information.

In terms of education methods, the PIZ use both online and offline provision of training materials. Online resources range from training courseware and videos to courses, while offline resources include consultation, lectures, seminars, and IP exhibitions while, at the regional level, external experts are also brought in for vocational training and major training initiatives. For instance, PATON offers lectures on business law protection and IP management for students with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, in-service training for patent engineers and double degree personnel, and vocational training for patent researchers. Patent Information Centre Rostock also provides embedded training courses tailored to users’ needs.

In terms of education courses and certifications, PIZ regional centers’ training courses are highly systematic, ensuring professionalism, continuity, and hierarchy of training. Each center designs courses tailored to the characteristics and needs of their region, and provides corresponding training certificates for different users. For example, participants in education training courses at Aachen University of Technology Library receive an attendance certificate issued by the library, while participants in education training courses at PATON receive qualification certificates as patent engineers/patent managers or patent researchers.

In terms of education promotion, PIZ regional centers carry out various activities including propaganda, exhibitions, special lectures, consultation, and evaluation services on World Intellectual Property Day, the PIZnet Action Week (held every September), and National Day. These activities broaden the service content, expand the depth of service, and enhance users’ awareness of IP.

3.4 Advantages and Characteristics of IPLE of PIZ in German Universities or University Libraries

The survey results show that IPLE courses provided by PIZ regional centers in German universities or university libraries are abundant, systematic, and hierarchical. Users at different types and levels can select appropriate courses based on their needs. At the international and national levels, training and education primarily focus on basic laws and regulations, as well as the search and utilization of relevant databases. PIZ regional centers are responsible for providing detailed content.

The IPLE courses offered by German universities or university libraries have several advantages and characteristics:

1. They have established partnerships with other IP institutions and associations to provide more diverse and high-quality services. Experts from EPO, DPMA, and off-campus IP service institutions participate extensively, ensuring professionalism and accuracy of educational content.

2. They have a comprehensive service system that covers a wide range of IP topics, including patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights, and licensing.

3. The vast majority of training lectures and courses offered by PIZ regional centers in German universities or university libraries define the target user type and ensure course effectiveness.

4. Education methods include consultation, lectures, courses, activities, and online learning resources, while education promotion mainly involves holding meaningful activities on World Intellectual Property Day, PIZnet Action Week, and National Day.

4.1 Education Expert Module

IP is a subject that requires interdisciplinary knowledge and strong practical application. As such, high-quality IP teachers in colleges and universities are essential to improving teaching levels and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. The PIZ regional centers of German universities and university libraries have EPO and DPMA experts who participate directly in international and national-level training, ensuring the professionalism and timeliness of knowledge. At the regional level, center personnel who understand the region’s development also participate in training. Experts from IP commercial institutions, enterprises, or chambers of commerce are hired for training based on the characteristics of the region and users’ needs.

Teachers of information literacy education in university libraries who have experience in document information acquisition, search skills, and patent-related knowledge could undertake part of the task of IPLE after systematic training in IP theory and practice. Combining information literacy education with IPLE can also achieve good teaching results; certainly, considering the complexity and professionalism of IP rights, some university libraries not having the conditions to develop IPLE, or not being able to carry out in-depth IPLE, adopting a cross-border education mode with multi-agency cooperation is encouraged in order to provide personalized and customized education and training services. The selection of training experts can include the following aspects:

1. Experts from the National IP Administration and local IP offices who are familiar with various IP systems, laws, and regulations. They understand the current situation and issues related to IP development in colleges and universities, and have experience in patent management, infringement judgment, patent early warning, etc.

2. Teachers or external experts from relevant colleges of the university, such as IP schools, law schools, or management schools as a supplement to the content and direction. In addition, University libraries can also develop strategic partnerships with (commercial) IP information service centers in the region. These institutions provide extensive services in IP strategic planning research, information analysis and consultation, scientific and technological strategic research and consultation, regional development planning, industrial competitive intelligence research, data platform development and construction, talent exchange and training, and application and implementation of projects. By collaborating with these centers, universities can build a new and innovative patent information service system.

3. Technical experts from patent databases who have professional knowledge and expertise in patent information searching and can provide technical consultation, guidance, support, and training. Additionally, under university policies and funding conditions, purchasing patent analysis software and receiving after-sales services such as search and analysis consulting, regular training for librarians, teachers, and students, and guidance on the writing of topics and analysis reports could be helpful.

4. Experts from off-campus IP institutions, such as lawyers in patent agencies, who are proficient in patent-related knowledge and have experience in patent writing, the review process, and communication with the patent review department.

4.2 Education Level Module

The IPLE courses offered by PIZ regional centers in German universities and university libraries specify target groups, applicable objects, applicable levels, and training objectives. To integrate IP education with quality and general education, innovation education, and professional education (Liu and Yin 2017), university libraries can offer IPLE at different user levels based on major settings, discipline development, and user needs:

1. General education

   Universities libraries should cultivate the compound IP talents with legal, management, and technical knowledge and promote the integration and development of the intersection and application of disciplines and IP knowledge. University libraries can also provide public optional courses on IP general education that require class hours and credits for students. The aim is to improve students’ awareness of IP rights, the legal knowledge base, and common issues related to IP utilization through various infringement cases.

2. Major education

   University libraries can offer a series of major courses on IP for the cultivation of IP majors and talents. The goal is to understand and master IP-related systems, policies, and regulations worldwide, learn IP strategic planning and operation management knowledge, and conduct IP infringement issues and IP evaluation research.

3. Graduates

   Graduates face challenges related to citation and signature norms when writing dissertations or publishing articles. Strengthening their copyright awareness can help them understand the current situation of university copyright protection and use copyright law to protect themselves and others’ legitimate rights and interests.

   Moreover, cultivating innovative and entrepreneurial talents is also essential for graduates as they enter the workforce. University libraries can integrate into the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship education system to provide comprehensive education and training services for innovation and entrepreneurship.

4. Scientific researchers

   As the main force of scientific and technological innovation in colleges and universities, scientific researchers should have a strong awareness of IP rights, understand the patent application process and transformation of scientific and technological achievements, analyze IP information, and be aware of IP management and strategic layout. They should also avoid infringement risks when developing technology and writing patent claims.

5. Customized users

   University libraries can provide embedded education training and customized lectures for teachers and students based on their writing and research needs. Special IP training can be provided for patent information search competitions and innovation and entrepreneurship projects to help users master patent search and analysis skills.

4.3 Education Methods Module

In addition to online and offline consultation, lectures and seminars, the IPLE methods for the PIZ regional centers in German universities and university libraries also include holding IP exhibitions, PIZnet action weeks, in-service training, and major training. The education methods that university libraries can choose are shown in Figure 3 below.

Figure 3:

Education methods of IPLE in university libraries.

In the above-mentioned education methods, the online education method includes various kinds of online courses or lectures, which serve as a supplementary tool for traditional offline education and training. Fragmented time can be used to choose different learning courses on various platforms.

In addition, IPLE emphasizes the combination of theory and practice, so the education method of case teaching is useful in promoting and stimulating IP knowledge learning. The case teaching method mainly uses classic cases and current events related to IP that have been judged to help students improve their awareness of IP and problem-solving abilities in practice.

4.4 Education Courses Module

The education courses of the PIZ regional centers will be set for different levels of training objects. For example, Aachen University of Technology Library provides courses on patent information and database introduction, patent search methods and strategies, law enforcement and recovery, and patent document formation; Dresden University of Technology offers courses on the theory and practice of property rights, research strategies, and the use of property rights databases; and PATON’s courses cover patent introduction and search, national IP systems, using DPMA, EPO, and WIPO databases, writing and reading patents correctly, patent strategies, and evaluating patent infringement risks effectively.

On the basis of learning from the course content setting method of the PIZ regional centers, the education courses of university libraries are designed according to the five levels of training levels in 4.2, as shown in Table 3 below.

Practical courses play a crucial role in IPLE. Students should be considered as the subject of learning, and heuristic teaching methods should be adopted to improve their thinking ability and cultivate practical application skills. This includes traditional practice courses like major practice and graduation practice, as well as special practical courses such as IP agency and evaluation, information search and analysis, etc. Rather than pure theoretical explanations by teachers in the classroom, universities can invite practical experts such as industry practitioners, judicial judges, administrators, and others to give embedded lectures in major courses at university libraries.

The specific curriculum system must be constructed and selected according to the requirements of school curriculum construction and discipline development. The teaching content should be designed and updated according to the students’ professional backgrounds and, additionally, an assessment and incentive mechanism can be established to increase the learning efficiency and participation rate of users. For example, after completing specified training hours (including class hours and practice hours) and passing assessments (which can include written exams, online exams, big reports, etc.), credit certificates or training completion certificates can be issued to enhance enthusiasm and standardize and institutionalize the education and training system.

Due to the fact that IP involves a vast complex system, and the IP system in each country has its own characteristics and directions, it is impossible to exhaustively list all the education courses, and these courses listed above may not be applicable to every country. University libraries can accommodate, add, or delete some courses through local customization according to user needs or the socioeconomic environments in their own countries, or customize the training courses to specific local IP and innovation needs.

4.5 Education Promotion Module

The purpose of promotion is to enhance users’ understanding of the work scope and content of university libraries, guide demand, and promote the deepening and expansion of IPLE. PIZ regional centers can announce their training courses on websites or notify upcoming lecture training courses and propagate and promote the service content on special days by featuring training content.

University libraries can promote IP awareness among university teachers and students during special days such as Readers’ Service Week, World Intellectual Property Day, and other activities. This can be achieved by publishing tweets on official websites and social media, conducting a series of lectures, printing and distributing IP brochures, inviting experts to give academic reports, inviting patent agents to introduce the patent application process and interpretation of examination opinions, and organizing IP knowledge competitions.

4.6 Education Evaluation Module

Establishing an evaluation system for IP information literacy education can promote IPLE, with such an evaluation system including educational approaches, platforms, content, and feedback from teachers and students. Due to the complexity of research, multiple university libraries should cooperate to carry out joint research on IPLE and realize the co-construction and sharing of the evaluation system. The evaluation system helps university libraries formulate objectives, design contents, and cultivate IPLE teams.

Evaluation and feedback investigate problems in each link of IPLE and identify key areas for improvement, avoiding blindness in education and training activities and relying too much on subjective judgment. Evaluation and feedback can help optimize the training mode and identify missing courses and objective problems to make timely adjustments. Feedback may be face-to-face, via email, through an evaluation system or questionnaires, and results can inform course selection and work improvement.