Patents and patent applications often published earlier than academic papers. Canada has about 2.5 million and the USA over 5 Million granted patents representing 150 years of technology. If you are an inventor, you should be aware of relevant prior art in your technology. If you are an entrepreneur, you should monitor your competitors' new products, and where they are patented. If you are involved in applied research, you need to review new and pending patents in your discipline.
Patents are the first place to look.
Prevent duplication of an existing patented device, process, or technique. Track the research and development effort of colleagues or competitors across the globe and check for infringement. Assess market trends by watching numbers of patents issued, purchased, or licensed in growth technologies. Monitor patent validity challenges, expiries, examinations, reassignments, divisions, continuations and extensions. Information provided varies from full-text US patents to abstracts and patent family detail of patents from the world's industrialized countries.