Annual Technical Report 2010 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by OHIM (CWS/ATR/ID/2010/EM)
Where URLs are requested below, it is preferred that either URLs which are likely to remain stable over time (three years or more) are provided, or home (main) page URLs are provided with a short explanation of how to access the corresponding information.
The expression "industrial designs" covers industrial designs and models. Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in this series of Annual Technical Reports.
I. Evolution of registration activities
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants (registrations) with respect to the previous year
The number of registered Community designs received showed growth overall of around 7%, taking into account international applications.
Direct filings were at around 75,000 and international applications showed a 50% rise compared with 2009 to reach a total of 7,000.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
By the year end, over 80% of RCDs were being registered within the target time of 45 days, meeting the Service Charter objective. In addition,
around 40% were published within 10 days and some, complying with a few simple guidelines, within 48 hours. At the same time, the office
continued to comply with the established quality standard.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to industrial designs
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/OHIM/statistics.en.do
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes
Publishing, including printing, copying techniques and electronic printing
The Community Designs Bulletin contains RCD registrations, entries made in the Register and renewal information (Article 73 CDR and Articles 14-16 CDIR). The following items can be found in the Community Designs Bulletin:
* Registered Community designs
* Entries in the Register subsequent to registration
* Renewals and information on expired registrations
The Design Bulletin is published once every working day of the Office.
The Community Designs Bulletin is organised in accordance with WIPO standard ST.80.
Files containing the text entered will be listed in the results pages, and include:
* name and address of the applicant, representative, or designer. All results will be listed, even if the same person acts as applicant of one design and as representative or designer of another
* country names in Spanish (due to technical constraints)
* matching file or registration numbers
* dates of filing, entry into the Register, or publication
* Locarno classification-e.g. 09-01 for products classified in that class
* indication of products.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information
Vademecum
http://oami.europa.eu/bulletin/rcd/rcd_bulletin_en.htm
Databases and office automation
RCD-ONLINE provides ready access to information on registered Community design (RCD) registrations.
The information is taken from the internal systems used by OHIM to process design registrations as published in the Community Designs Bulletin.
RCD Bulletin
The Community Designs Bulletin contains RCD registrations, entries made in the Register and renewal information (Article 73 CDR and Articles 14-16 CDIR). The following items can be found in the Community Designs Bulletin:
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online industrial design gazettes and to other sources of industrial design information, including download of bulk industrial design data
RCD Bulletin
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/RCD/RCDBulletin.en.do
RCD-Online
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/databases/searchRCD.en.do
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of industrial design information according to the classification systems applied
Classification and reclassification activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification), other classification (please indicate whether industrial designs are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)
Classification system: Locarno Classification
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
In-house systems (online/offline)
The OHIM uses for internal searches two systems not available to the public: Eurodesign and QFMAN
External databases
Searching the Register Community Design database:
RCD-Online
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/databases/searchRCD.en.do
Search classification for designs: Eurolocarno
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/databases/eurolocarno.en.do
Representative consultation service
http://oami.europa.eu/FRP/RequestManager?transition=start&source=Login.
html&language=en&application=FRP
eSearch Plus (This service is currently as a beta (trial) version in English)
- Allows to search and monitor Community trade marks and registered Community designs, as well as look for owners, representatives and related case-law. Aimed at improving the search online user experience, by providing a wide range of search criteria, easy-to-use sorting and filtering options and the possibility to set up your own alerts using RSS feeds.
VI. Administration of industrial design information products and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering designs, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts)
Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and industrial design information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)
E-filing is a service provided by OHIM, which enables users to apply for a Register Community Design online.
OHIM provides a business-to-business solution for its larger clients where, based on an agreed transfer mechanism across the Internet, our clients can send their RCD applications directly from their own back-office systems directly to OHIM.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/forms/electronic/fileApplicationRCD.en.do
E-renewal is a service provided by OHIM in order to enable users to renew a RCD online.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/forms/electronic/fileRenewalRCD.en.do
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of industrial design applications
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/forms/electronic/fileApplicationRCD.en.do
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide information on business procedures such as: filing, publication, examination and registration procedures related to industrial designs; opposition and appeal procedures related to industrial designs; etc.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/RCD/regProcess/regProcess.en.do
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., industrial design search service(s) and industrial design databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/RCD/index.en.do
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
OHIM holds a wide range or cooperation and consultation meetings with stakeholders in EU including national IP offices, the European Commission user groups and representatives of the judiciary.
Each year we hold well-attended liaison meetings with national offices, on trade marks, designs and technical/IT issues. The meetings are used to
exchange best practice, and discuss innovations.
In 2010, for example, the technical liaison meeting examined the potential of “cloud computing”.
There’s also a long history of cooperative projects with various stakeholders, on training, information, and on e-learning and e-business
resources. This including significant collaboration on databases and information tools.
OHIM Cooperation Fund:
As regards designs, currently and in the framework of the Cooperation Fund, OHIM and the National Offices of the EU launch the project CF1.2.8 - Designview – Common Design Information Tool. This aims to make information on designs available online to the user. This project will constitute an opportunity for many offices to make their designs information to the public in an electronic manner. Create a common, single repository for designs information. The information will be accessible to the user via a single design search tool, which will allow online access to selected information about National, eventually also International, and Community designs based on information provided by POs. This project is foreseen to go live on December 2012
The Fund was set up in 2009 to promote harmonization of tools and practices and modernise national IP offices with the ultimate goal of making things easier for users of the European trade mark and design systems.
A total of 23 projects under four different fields is planned under the Cooperation Fund. National Offices and Users’ Associations have been
closely involved in the definition of the projects and will participate in their development.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/OHIMCooperationFund.en.do
VIII. Matters concerning education and training, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)
Relations with users
OHIM has always put emphasis on understanding users of the Community trade mark and design systems, and responding to their needs.
The OHIM website remains the most important information resource. The content, in five languages, is updated daily, and it's the home
for the office's monthly electronic magazine, Alicante News, which now has over 8,000 e-mail subscribers.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/OHIM/index.en.do
Cooperation inside the EU
OHIM holds a wide range or cooperation and consultation meetings with stakeholders in EU including national IP offices, the European
Commission user groups and representatives of the judiciary.
Cooperation outside the EU
The global dimension of trade means that many of CTM and RCD users also have to deal with IP systems in the US, the Far East, and many other countries.
Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)
OHIM was present at the following events 2010
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/OHIM/news/eventsArchive2010.en.do
Training courses for national and foreign participants
The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) maintains close links with all interested parties in order to ensure cooperation and harmonization across Europe as well as to ensure the best possible delivery of its services.
This requires complete transparency with regard to standards and the results of examinations and other procedures performed by OHIM, and consultation with users in order to improve practice and procedures.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/networks/networks.en.do
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
OHIM’s goal is to help to create simpler, more responsive and more compatible systems for the benefit of users internationally. Some of this may be achieved by making rules, but the Office is also involved in a wide range of cooperative exchanges with the European Patent Office (EPO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Trilateral partners and third countries including major trading partners such as China.
In 2010 OHIM funded cooperation actions or contributed to EU-funded programmes in China and the Regional IP programme in Western Balkans and Turkey.
In China, OHIM is the main expertise provider on trade marks and designs for the EU-China IPR2 programme. Comparative studies completed last year have been followed up by workshops to exchange best practices. Senior staff have also been involved in the revision of the Chinese trade mark law; we have taken part in seminars in various parts of the country and have renewed the pre-existing bilateral ties. The work in China is carried out in cooperation with the European Patent Office, which is the programme manager for IPR2, and this partnership has created sound foundations for further collaboration in this and in other areas.
In parallel, OHIM’s maintains an IP officer in Beijing, in order to help EU stakeholders navigate through the difficult waters of IP enforcement in China.
In the Western Balkans and Turkey, OHIM has provided expertise for the Commission’s regional programme on IP, which is also managed by the EPO. Experts supported 15 different events in Serbia and Montenegro and carried out specific actions with the Turkish authorities in the revision of examination guidelines for both trade marks and designs.
IX.Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
provide information on legislation related to industrial designs
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/RCD/legalReferences/legalReferences.en.do
contain the Annual Report of the Office
OHIM’s Annual Report for 2010 is available only online in Multimedia version or in PDF format.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/OHIM/OHIMPublications/annualReport.en.do
if necessary, provide further information related to the topics referred to in the current ATR
Quality plus:
The Office is committed to listening to users’ needs and putting in place measures to maintain and improve the quality of services.
his section provides access to the Office’s quality policy, the Service Charter, User Satisfaction Survey, and guidance on how to file a complaint. You will also find information on cooperation projects with IP offices in member states and internationally.
Networks and Users’ Groups includes:
* The OAMI Users' Group, the e-Business Users' Group
* Judges' seminars and symposiums, and the OHIM Universities Network
* Information about OHIM’s participation in networks with other major IP offices.
* Technical cooperation agreements and the OHIM Cooperation Fund.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/QPLUS/index.en.do
provide open source codes related to industrial design information systems
DS-XML is created for the exchange of data on Designs.
The latest version 0.5 is aligned to WIPO ST.86
http://www.tm-xml.org/DS-XML/DS-XML_xml/index.xml
contain industrial design-related news regarding the Office
ALICANTE NEWS is a newsletter, edited by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market and published on the second last Wednesday of every month.
The aim of ALICANTE NEWS is to provide up-to-date information on OHIM- elated matters, as well as on other general IP issues, to the users of the Community trade mark and design registration systems.
http://oami.europa.eu/ows/rw/pages/OHIM/OHIMPublications/newsletter.en.do