Annual Technical Report 2011 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Bulgaria (CWS/ATR/ID/2011/BG)
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
In 2011 208 applications for industrial designs were filed under the national route (203 in 2010), 202 of them were submitted by domestic applicants (193 in 2010). 15 applications were filled under The Hague Agreement (34 in 2010).
271 industrial designs were registered (181 in 2010), of them. 263 owned by national applicants (149 in 2010) and 8 - from foreign applicants (32 in 2010).
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
There is no change in applications filed by domestic applicants under the National route.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to industrial designs
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=643&Itemid=416
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 information about industrial design applications and granted certificates for industrial designs is published in the Official Bulletin of The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria (BPO) which is a monthly edition. As from April 2009 the paper version has been discontinued and the bulletin is being published exclusively in electronic form – CD ROM, and on the Office’s official web site simultaneously
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information
Publications consist of bibliographic data, classification symbols and images of industrial designs.
Besides, the bulletin contains announcements concerning all entries in the State Industrial Designs Register concerning the legal status: transfer of rights; change in name/address of owner; revocation of registration of industrial design; invalidation of registration of Industrial design; termination of legal protection; renewal of the registration; licensing contracts; industrial designs as a pledge objects; industrial designs as a security objects; industrial designs in bankruptcy proceedings
Mass storage media and microforms used
The dossiers of the industrial design applications are stored in paper form In numerical order according to the number the number of the application(only for refused applications) and the number of the registration respectively.
Databases and office automation
Registered designs are searchable via the BPO on-line database. It provides a range of search options including name of applicant or owner, Locarno classes, application filing date, registration date, application and registration number. For the publications in The Official Bulletin the data is extracted from the internal database IDIS.
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
The Official Bulletin URL:
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167&Itemid=269
The public database URL:
http://www1.bpo.bg:8080/bpo_online/rd?login_now=1&page=split&searchMode=on&ord=0&dir=A&subCmd=IDesign
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)
Since January 1, 2009 the 9-th edition of the Locarno Classification is used. All registered designs were reclassified according to the 9-th edition.
Bibliographic data and processing
BPO maintains on-line searchable bibliographic data for Industrial Designs via internet tool "BPO On-line".
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
File building
Two files on paper:
- dossiers of registered industrial designs in numerical order arranged under the number of the registration;
- dossiers of the refused industrial designs applications arranged by application's number.
A paper card file includes the bibliographic data and the graphical presentation of all expired registered industrial designs. The file is arranged according to the classes and subclasses of the Locarno Classification.
Updating
The files are regularly updated depending on the number of registrations and refusals.
Storage, including mass storage media
BPO maintains all data concerning applications and registered industrial design on paper carrier (dossier).
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
WIPO "INTERNATIONAL DESIGNS BULLETIN" (WO);
OAMI- ONLINE- DATABASES;
Official bulletins of other national offices containing information about Industrial Designs .
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
In-house systems (online/offline)
The Office maintains an specialized in-house searchable database of national applications and registered industrial designs - IDIS. The database is not available to the public but its structure corresponds to the public database.
BPO_online - web-based service for public access to information of the published industrial design in BPO.
External databases
OHIM database on CD-ROM which is loading every month in the database of national Industrial Designs;
BPO On-line - web-based service for public access to information of the applications and registered Industrial Designs in BPO.
WIPO database
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
The BPO maintains IDIS and State Register of the industrial designs which is regularly updated.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used
Filing system of the IDIS automation system is based on:
Hardware: Server PSERV HP K360
Operation system: HP-UX 11.0 .
Instance: Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.5.0.0
Workstations: Intel Pentium based PCs;
Software:
Workstations: Windows XP as OS, MS Office as documents management, etc.;
Carriers used: CDs, DVDs.
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)
Planning, administration, automation, security
The Central Patent Library is a part of the Bulgarian Patent Office.
There are no special requirements for the library use.
There is free access to the library's reading room. Mostly of services provided in the library are free of charge.
Collection management, preservation
Weekly backing up of data changes.
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)
The services in the field of the industrial designs are generally provided by the examiners. In 2010, the searches for novelty and infringement of IP rights were 153 and the searches for legal status, by name of owner, author and etc. were 377. In the Central Patent library’s reading room personal assistance and consultations were provided to the clients on how to use the on-line the BPO- on-line - designs; Hague express - WIPO; RCD- (OHIM). During the year under revue 231 searches in the field of Industrial Designs were provided to the public.
A wide range of information is available at the BPO's website - basic information on Industrial Designs, filing and registration instructions, fee information and full texts of National and International legal documents. All application forms can be saved and filled in on the computer screen.
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of industrial design applications
none
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.
Information:
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=360
Fees:
http://www1.bpo.bg/images/stories/tariff/tariff_of_fees_may_07.pdf
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
The Office web site: http://www1.bpo.bg/
Classification of Industrial Designs
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=211&Itemid=368
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
International or regional cooperation in the exchange of industrial design information, e.g., in the form of official gazettes
Free access to the Official Bulletin from N 1/2009 onwards is available on the Office´s web site:
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167&Itemid=269
Exchange of machine-readable information, e.g., data contained on CD-ROM or magnetic tape
There is no international or regional cooperation in the exchange of machine-readable information on industrial designs. The exchange of statistical data proceeds with OHIM and WIPO by mail post.
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)
Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)
Activities in the frame of Technical cooperation agreement between OHIM and BPO: Organization of a workshop on CTM and RCD;Read a round of particular lectures on CTM and RCD in other events, organized by Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, as seminars, workshops, conferences and lectures at universities;
Training courses for national and foreign participants
Training courses in the field of industrial design for IP representatives (attorneys).
Training courses for national and foreign participants
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
none
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://www1.bpo.bg:8080/bpo_online/rd?login_now=1&page=split&searchMode=on&ord=0&dir=A&subCmd=IDesign
contain the Annual Report of the Office
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=150
if necessary, provide further information related to the topics referred to in the current ATR
general information:
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=360
international registration procedure:
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=186&Itemid=367
registration procedures:http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=117&Itemid=364
provide open source codes related to industrial design information systems
none
contain industrial design-related news regarding the Office
News regarding the BPO activities have been regularly published on the Office’s web site: http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=2&id=3&Itemid=169⟨=en
X. Other relevant matters