Annual Technical Report 2011 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Czech Republic (CWS/ATR/ID/2011/CZ)
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
National design application 392 in 2011 - 14% compared to 2010 (457)
- submitted by domestic applicants 378 in 2011 - 15% compared to 2010 (443)
- submitted by foreign applicants 14 in 2011 0 % compared to 2010 (14)
- number of designs contained 1238 in 2011 - 15% compared to 2010 (1460)
Designs registrations 238 in 2011 - 8% compared to 2010 (259)
- domestic applicants 232 in 2011 - 5% compared to 2010 (244)
- foreign applicants 6 in 2011 - 60 % compared to 2010 (15)
- number of designs contained 826 in 2011 + 5% compared to 2010 (786)
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
The number of applications and designs filed had been declining in long term until 2008. The trend reversed in 2009. But in 2011 the number of applications dropped by 14 %, compared to 2010, the number of national applications dropped by 15 % and the number of designs contained in these applications dropped by 15%, compared to 2010. The number of designs registrations dropped by 8 % compared to 2010. The number of designs contained in registrations raised by 5 %, compared to 2010.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to industrial designs
Since 2000 the Annual Reports and statistics have been available at the Office’s website:
http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/annual-report/annual-report.html
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
Lists of designs which have been registered, renewed, corrected, or which have requested restoration are published weekly in the Official Bulletin of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic. Since 2007 an electronic weekly (updated on Wednesdays) bulletin has been published at the Office´s web site (http://www.upv.cz/en.html). No prior registration or subscription to view the Bulletin is needed; however the Adobe Reader viewer must be downloaded. The information as published should be the authentic one for legal purposes.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information
Office notices are published weekly in the electronic Official Bulletin of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic. Notices are also published at the Office’s website.
Mass storage media and microforms used
Used mass storage media are hard discs, magnetic tapes for backup and paper.
Databases and office automation
Registered designs are searchable in the public database. It provides a range of search options including proprietor, designer, image, indication of the product, legal status, date of filing, registration and publication, and Locarno class and subclass. The Official Bulletin picks up data from the internal database.
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://www.upv.cz/en/publications/ipo-bulletin.html
The public database URL:
http://www.upv.cz/en/provided-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases.html
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)
The 9th edition of the Locarno Classification has been used since January 1, 2009; The Office reclassified all registered designs according to this latest edition.
Bibliographic data and processing
Registered and published designs are searchable by proprietor as well as the former proprietor, designer, by date of filing, registration and publication, by number of application and registration, and by indication of the product, legal status and the Locarno class and subclass.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
The Office carries out formal and full substantive examination of applications. The applications are subject to examination on novelty and individual character.
File building
The industrial design search file consists of the collection of registered industrial designs of the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia. The full retrospective collection of registered and published industrial designs is accessible via public database. The database contains bibliographic data as well as images of approx. 32 000 published registrations. The oldest data comes from the 1966/67 turn of the year.
Updating
The data is updated daily and stored electronically (official databases, hard discs, magnetic tapes for backup) and in a paper version.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
Collections of official bulletins of foreign offices are available in an electronic (CDs/ DVDs, Internet) or in a paper version. Both versions are received regularly. WIPO and Community Design Bulletin are available in electronic version via Internet (new volumes) and in CD/DVD version (previous volumes).
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
In-house systems (online/offline)
The Office maintains the in-house search database of national applications and registered industrial designs. The database is not accessible to the public but its structure corresponds to the public database.
External databases
The Office provides publicly free access to the database comprising the data concerning the Czech national registered industrial designs at the IPO CZ website http://www.upv.cz/en/provided-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases.html.
The Office and users can also perform searches in the public accessible databases provided freely on the Internet by the other national offices. The Office regularly uses also the “RCD Online” database (maintained by OHIM) which provide access to the registered Community designs and the “Hague Express” database (maintained by WIPO) which contains the international industrial designs. The links to these databases are provided at the Office´s web site (http://www.upv.cz/en.html).
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
The Office uses the internal information system (IS SyPP) to proceed the applications of patents, supplementary patent certificates, utility models, industrial designs, geographical indications and trade marks. The system is flexible and applicable enough to maintain the official registers of all the industrial property rights. The system archives all incoming and outgoing communications of the Office, provides information on the state of proceeding, legal status of registrations and statistical data. The system is integrated with Document Management System (DMS) of the Office. The data are transferred to the electronic Official Bulletin and to the public search database. Starting from November 2002, the system has been compatible with electronic filing recognizing authorized electronic certificates. The on-line filing system was launched in August 2006; the current version of on-line filing system was released in September 2009. Since 2011 has launched programming of a new version of IS SyPP which will be more flexible, based on Oracle Forms with easier maintaining and more flexible data structure. Data will be stored in xml format including the history, which means higher security. The system will be more user-friendly. The system will be connected with central registers of the Czech Republic (ISZR). The new IS SyPP is co-financed by the European fund for regional development within the EU project Enforcement of Industrial Property Rights.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used
Workstations - HP, processor Intel Pentium 4, Core2Duo, Core I3 and Core I5, RAM 1- 4 GB, HDD 160 - 250 GB. 300 workstations connected in the Office network are of the Office staff direct service. Thereof 50 computers connected in the Office network are intended for the clients of the Office and staff training service. The Office uses the ETHERNET network and computers run WINDOWS XP and WINDOWS Seven operating systems, MS OFFICE - 2003/2007/2010 software and the ORACLE 10.1 database. The Office uses CD, DVD and magnetic tapes as data mediums.
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
Applications for design registration can be filed by post, in person, by fax, via data box or electronically (with electronic signature) to the Office. Wide range of other communications may be submitted electronically via user-friendly interface.
Bibliographic details of applications are entered into SyPP manually if the application is filed in paper or automatically if the application is filed via online filing facility. The applicants receive confirmation of filing via post upon their request or electronically if application is filed online. The application file can be inspected after publishing the registration via the Office´s web site (URL:
http://isdv.upv.cz/portal/pls/portal/portlets.rejst.formular?lan=en)
Collection management, preservation
Extended safety is secured via SSL.
Backing up of data changes is done twice a week. Full back up of data is on weekly basis. Backed up files are preserved for 4 weeks.
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 information centre and help desk operate during the working days. They provide the public with general information concerning design protection.
The industrial design collections and the Internet access are available in the public reading room of the Office´s library. The public reading room staff carries out personal assistance and consultations.
The Office´s web site provides wide range of information including basic information on IP rights, filing and registration instructions, fee information and full texts of legal documents. All valid forms are printable. An interactive facility for filing applications and submitting other communications to the Office is available online. Entries can be downloaded and stored. The facility requires electronic authorized certificate, which substitute signature.
The Office provides full range of brochures and guides free of charge. They can be downloaded in PDF format from the Office´s web site, picked up in the office headquarters or sent upon request. The Office publishes its own books and the Industrial Property Journal (6 issues per year) reflecting the current issues of IP rights.
The Office provides searches on commercial basis.
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of industrial design applications
Online Filing:
http://www.upv.cz/en/provided-services/on-line-filing.html
Forms:
http://www.upv.cz/en/provided-services/forms.html
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.
Protection of Industrial Designs:
http://www.upv.cz/en/ip-rights/industrial-designs.html
Instructions:
http://www.upv.cz/en/ip-rights/industrial-designs/national-application-information.html
ACT No. 207/2000 Coll. of 21 June 2000, on the Protection of Industrial Designs:
http://www.upv.cz/dms/pdf_dokumenty/zakony/207_2000_a/207_2000_A_CS.PDF
Fees:
http://www.upv.cz/en/ip-rights/industrial-designs/fees.html
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://www.upv.cz/en.html
Information on Services:
http://www.upv.cz/en/provided-services/information-services.html
Publications:
http://www.upv.cz/en/publications.html
Industrial Designs Databases:
http://www.upv.cz/en/provided-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases.html
Classification of Industrial Designs:
http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/classsification-systems/classification--industrial-designs.html
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
The last paper series were provided in 2007 since the Official Bulletin of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic is published exclusively in electronic form on weekly bases as of the beginning 2007. The paper version has been discontinued.
Electronic version of the Official Bulletin is accessible at the Office´s web site:
http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/ipo-bulletin.html
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.)
The Office presented its information activities and products at the following exhibitions and trade fairs:
International Engineering Fair (Brno, CZ)
FOR INDUSTRY 2011 (Prague, CZ)
TENDENCE 2011 (Prague, CZ)
AMPER 2011 (Prague, CZ)
Innovation 2011 (Prague, CZ)
39th International Exhibition of Inventions (Geneva, CH)
IENA - Exhibition of Inventions and Innovations (Nürnberg, DE)
The Industrial Property Journal is published six times a year.
The Office cooperates with Regional Patent Information Centres (PATLIBs) on information product dissemination.
Training courses for national and foreign participants
The Czech IPO regularly organizes wide range of training courses and seminars – such as IP Protection and National (CZ) and International Systems of IP Protection in particular PCT, Intellectual Property Protection in Business (SMEs), Technology Transfer, Enforcement of Intellectual Rights, IP Jurisdiction (administrative and judicial issues), Trademarks and Designs - National and International Legal Protection, Searches in the National and Foreign Patent Databases. All the educational activities are organized for public mainly for students, academic staff of universities, representatives of SMEs or research institutions, IP professionals. University students are also regularly invited for excursions and guided tours in the Office’s premises.
Every year, a two-year course of industrial property rights begins within the Industrial Property Training Institute – Office's own educational facility.
The Office cooperates with Regional Patent Information Centres (PATLIBs) on providing training and education.
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
The fourteen-day training for 5 – 6 participants is hosted by the Office every year.
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://www.upv.cz/en/legislation.html
contain the Annual Report of the Office
http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/annual-report/annual-report.html
if necessary, provide further information related to the topics referred to in the current ATR
FAQ
http://www.upv.cz/en/information-sources/faq.html
X. Other relevant matters