Information retrieval, machine learning, and Natural Language Processing for intellectual property information

Readers of this journal are well aware that automation technology has played a significant role in searching for patent information and, as artificial intelligence is once again (after the first, 1960s, and second, 1980s, golden eras of AI) a trending topic at both academic and industry conferences, the editorial team of this journal would like to encourage contributions that cover any aspect of automation as applied to intellectual property information. As a new Associate Editor of World Patent Information, I take the opportunity to advertise the availability of the editorial team to submissions from computer science teams, in addition to the existing contributions from the IP community. By way of introduction, I have taken the liberty to provide an extremely brief overview of efforts and contributions that the computer science community has made to the field of intellectual property. This summary focuses on patents, but that is not to say that trademarks or other forms of intellectual property have not triggered the interest of computer scientists. In fact, to call this summary short is already giving it too much credit. It is but a seed, upon which I hope that a forest of contributions and publications from my fellow computer scientists will grow. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.