MIT, Google, Cisco and USPTO create Prior Art Archive for better patents | TechCrunch

"The patent system is broken — there are too many ways to list here, really. The problems surrounding prior art are certainly among them, and a team of high profile companies and organizations are joining forces to address some of the these with the Prior Art Archive.

The database is a collaboration between MIT’s Media Lab, Google,  Cisco and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which certainly has the most to gain here. Using the MIT-hosted archive, patent applicants can find easily accessible examples of prior art and other technical information for reference...."