Annual Technical Report 2012 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Russian Federation (CWS/ATR/ID/2012/RU)

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 main trends in the development of activities in the field of patent information are defined by the Comprehensive Plan for Development of the Rospatent System up to 2015, the Rospatent Computerization Plan for 2012, and the Plan of Measures by Federal State Institution the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (FGU FIPS) for the enhancement and development of its activities for 2012.

The main trends in the Plans include:

- the creation of conditions to assist natural persons and legal entities in the fullest possible implementation of their rights to protection of the results of intellectual activity and means of individualization, and their enforcement;

- a reduction in the time taken to examine applications, bearing in mind the forecast growth in the volume of applications received;

- the provision of high-quality examination and protection titles issued;

- increasing the effectiveness of information technology resources within the Rospatent system;

- establishment of a State patent collection and provision of access thereto;

- training specialists in the use and protection of intellectual property;

- implementation of monitoring in the sphere of the use and legal protection of the results of scientific research, and design and technology work for civilian purposes, financed by the Federal Budget;

- implementation of international cooperation.

Depending on the type of measure, the anticipated deadlines for implementation are planned between 2010 and 2015.

In 2012, operation continued of the automated paperless prosecution system for the Chamber of Patent Disputes (PPS). The system in operation provides the possibility of paperless prosecution during the consideration of objections and appeals filed with PPS. Information on the decisions of the PPS automated paperless prosecution system is posted on the FIPS website in the Decisions of the Chamber of Patent Disputes section.

In 2012, operation continued of the Unified System for the Accounting of Fees in the context of using electronic bank payments for examinations of inventions, utility models and industrial designs, and the maintenance of patents in force, using web services as a means of integrating the prosecution systems for automated databases and the automated fees system.

In 2012 the automated fees system was updated in connection with the introduction of changes to the Regulations on Fees and ending requests for copies of payment documents from applicants.

The automated fees system is designed to support the processes for preparing data and administering the income from the payment of patent and other fees for performing legally significant acts: checking the receipt of funds by the Office, reserving funds, automatic tracking of the status of payments, automatic recording of funds on transmission of decisions regarding the performance of legally significant acts, and bookkeeping.

Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year

Table 1 shows the trends in the filing of applications and grant of patents for industrial designs in 2011 and 2012.

The total number of applications filed for industrial designs rose compared to 2011 by 10.56 per cent, due to an increase in Russian applicants (by 10.78 per cent), and foreign applicants alike (by 18.74 per cent).

The number of industrial design patents granted dropped 3.1 per cent compared to 2011.

RU-ATR-IndustrialDesigns2012-Trends

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to industrial designs

The following pages of the Office’s websites contain:

• statistical information – Rospatent Annual Reports section:

http://www.rupto.ru/rupto/portal/883567fd-fbd2-11e0-e807-8e000200001f ;

• information on open sources relating to industrial design information systems – Links section:

http://www.rupto.ru/rupto/portal/71550ba4-3b8a-11e1-e43a-9c8e9921fb2c

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/link_resources/;

• information notices in the Industrial Designs section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/industrial_designs/soob_pm .

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

Rospatent publications on industrial designs are presented in Table 2.

The Industrial Designs Official Gazette on CD-ROM electronic carrier with search system, and the corresponding paper Gazette are distributed by subscription. The most recent Gazette is available on the Rospatent site.

RU-ATR-IndustrialDesigns2012-Publishing

Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information

The forms of notifications on industrial designs published in the Rospatent Industrial Designs Official Gazette are presented in Table 3.

RU-ATR-IndustrialDesigns2012-Announcements

Databases and office automation

In 2012, the modernization of the official website of Rospatent was carried out on the basis of portal technology. As a result, the structure of the site was developed and technical improvements were made, including: the creation of a version for the visually impaired, the provision of adapted versions for printing, an extended search by sections, including for regulatory documents, and user registration, among other elements.

Alongside the Rospatent website, in 2012, the FIPS website (www.fips.ru) was also active and aimed to provide comprehensive support for users at different stages of the process of legal protection and defense of intellectual property. A new section was opened on the FIPS website – Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) – that is designed to simplify access to patent information for organizations and businesses in Russia. Further development of the FIPs website resulted in the section Electronic Services for Applicants, which helps to familiarize organizations and individuals with the electronic filing of applications for inventions and trademarks.

Descriptions of the State services provided by Rospatent in the field of industrial design information can be found on the State Services Portal (PGU):

• keeping registers of intellectual property subject matter and publishing information thereon;

• receiving industrial design applications, examining them and granting patents;

• recognizing the invalid grant or early termination of validity of legal protection of trademarks, service marks or appellations of origin, and the invalidity and termination of validity of patents for inventions, industrial designs, patents (certificates) for utility models, and certificates for the right to use appellations of origin;

• extending the term of and restoring patents;

• considering communications from citizens of the Russian Federation;

• registering agreements on the grant of rights in inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, service marks, protectable computer programs, databases and topographies of integrated circuits; commercial concession agreements on the use of intellectual property subject matter that is protected in conformity with the patent legislation of the Russian Federation;

• registering deals on the transfer abroad of single technologies.

All services offer the required forms for applications, and information on how to access services. It is possible to file applications for the grant of a Russian Federation (RF) patent for an invention, utility model or industrial design, as well as for State registration of a trademark or appellation of origin, and for recognition of a trademark as well known in the Russian Federation through the State Services Portal.

In 2012, the electronic document flow and execution of management instructions system (SEDKP) was put into operation, which ensures the registration, recording and monitoring of the execution of management instructions and the consideration of communications from the public.

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 web page addresses of the Office’s websites providing information relating to Office publications:

• the Administrative Regulations for performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of State functions relating to the keeping of registers of registered intellectual property subject matter, publication of information on registered intellectual property subject matter, applications filed and patents and certificates granted therefore, on the validity, termination and renewal of validity of legal protection in relation to intellectual property subject matter, the transfer of rights in protectable subject matter, and the official registration of intellectual property subject matter:

http://www.rupto.ru/norm_doc/sod/prikaz/minobrnauka/346_07/Po_vedeniyu_reestrov_zaregistrirovannih_obektov.htm#1;

• Regulations on official publications of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks, in the Patent Information Products section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/publishing_activities/publication_activities.

The addresses of web pages on the Office’s site providing access to online publications:

• Industrial Designs in the Electronic Gazettes section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/electron_bulletins/industrial_designs/;

• in the Information Resources section, International Classification for Industrial Designs subsection:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/international_classification/Industrial_samples/;

and Open Registers of Russian Patent Documents subsection:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/.

From the above page, a user may refer to the following resources by means of the appropriate link:

Register of Industrial Designs of the Russian Federation,

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/!ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os_hQlwAnSyMvYwN_NxNTAyM3ZwvfAKNAIwNfY6B8pFm8n79RqJuJp6GhhZmroYGRmYeJk0-Yp4G7izEB3eEg-_DrB8kb4ACOBvp-Hvm5qfoFuREGWSaOigD0pHbe/dl2/d1/L0lDU0NTSUpKZ2tLQ2xFS0NsRUEhL29Kb1FBQUlRSkFBTVl4aWxNUVp3WEJNNUpVbE1rQSEhL1lCSkp3NDU0NTAtNUY0a3N0eWowc3J5bndBISEvN19VRFBCOTJKMzBHSFE0MElRM01LOEY1MlM1Mi8yX19fXzcvcmVnTmFtZS9SVURFL2FjTmFtZS9jbGlja1JlZ2lzdGVy/#7_UDPB92J30GHQ40IQ3MK8F52S52


Register of Applications for the Grant of a Russian Federation Industrial Design Patent,

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/!ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os_hQlwAnSyMvYwN_NxNTAyM3ZwvfAKNAIwNfY6B8pFm8n79RqJuJp6GhhZmroYGRmYeJk0-Yp4G7izEB3eEg-_DrB8kb4ACOBvp-Hvm5qfoFuREGWSaOigD0pHbe/dl2/d1/L0lDU0NTSUpKZ2tLQ2xFS0NsRUEhL29Kb1FBQUlRSkFBTVl4aWxNUVp3WEJNNUpVbE1rQSEhL1lCSkp3NDU0NTAtNUY0a3N0eWowc3J5bndBISEvN19VRFBCOTJKMzBHSFE0MElRM01LOEY1MlM1Mi9Ta19fXzExL3JlZ05hbWUvUlVERUFQL2FjTmFtZS9jbGlja1JlZ2lzdGVy/#7_UDPB92J30GHQ40IQ3MK8F52S52

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)

At Rospatent, the International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification) (ICID) is used to classify industrial designs. Since January 1, 2009, indexes from the ninth edition of ICID have been indicated on patent documents. The ninth edition of ICID was used in 2012 for the publication of documents.

As part of the work carried out by WIPO in 2012 to revise the Locarno Classification, the following were prepared and transmitted to WIPO for inclusion in the new tenth edition of the Locarno Classification for Industrial Designs:

- proposals by Rospatent to introduce 8 new titles for industrial designs;

- 71 comments by Rospatent on proposals by foreign patent offices;

- a Russian translation of the titles of new products was prepared that will be included in the tenth edition of the Locarno Classification.

Bibliographic data and processing

Examiners of applications for industrial designs are provided with the results of information searches in the automated system for verbal searches, RF Trademarks, and the system for formalized linguistic descriptions of inventions, SILOIZ, for similarities between verbal or figurative elements of trademarks and verbal and figurative elements of industrial designs that have been the subject of applications.

In 2012, the results of 1,421 searches for similar verbal elements and 3,029 searches for similar figurative elements of industrial designs were prepared for examiners.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

File building

The industrial designs collection consists of two arrays of documents:

- national and foreign specialist or general gazettes with sections on industrial designs on various types of carriers (Industrial Designs of Russia Electronic Gazette on CD-ROM, Industrial Designs of Russia Set from 1993 to 2010 on DVD), arranged according to ICID index or Gazette issue number;

- a specialized collection of a broad range of industrial design publications, consisting of materials containing publications from other countries’ national gazettes with a Russian translation of the name of the industrial design and other literature. This collection is arranged according to ICID indexes with collections of varying depths for each country.

Updating

The paper collection is updated by incorporating current documentation on Russian Federation industrial designs and documentation received from Rospatent’s foreign partners as part of international exchange, as well as the acquisition of literature by subscription from major foreign publishers.

V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs

In-house systems (online/offline)

The in-house system in use since 1991 is the Russian Federation Industrial Designs automated system, which is used to conduct searches during the examination of applications for industrial designs, and draft outgoing correspondence, and is a source of electronic data for the publication of information in official publications.

Examiners’ searches are carried out in the automated system RF Industrial Designs, which includes the volume of applications from 1991 and is updated weekly. The industrial designs software continues to be used, providing an option to browse the search results of the trademarks database on the basis of prebuilt search formulations to prevent unfair competition through the use of trademarks and industrial designs.

In 2009, the migration to the ninth edition of ICID was completed.

In 2013, it is planned to migrate to keeping the State Register of Industrial Designs on electronic carrier.

It is planned to migrate to the new version of the Agreements automated system, offering paperless prosecution and providing State services electronically (integrated into the State Services Portal), in 2013.

The Agreements automated system is designed to support the prosecution of agreements on transferring rights in intellectual property subject matter, providing for the entire cycle of work: registration, categorizing incoming correspondence, storing the current status of applications, revisers’ corrections, preparing and dispatching outgoing correspondence, bookkeeping, integration with other systems and the entry of information on registration of agreements in the Electronic State Register (Industrial Designs).

In 2013, it is planned to introduce the Patent Prosecution automated system, offering paperless prosecution and providing State services related to changes to patents electronically (integrated into the State Services Portal).

External databases

FIPS examiners can access all freely available information resources on the Internet, including information on industrial designs. The list of information resources available on the internal FIPS network is updated regularly. The list includes information resources from both the countries and organizations included in the minimum compulsory search field at FIPS and also from other countries.

The minimum compulsory search field includes information resources from the Russian Federation, the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, the United States of America, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France and China.

Additional information resources include approximately 30 countries and organizations, including the industrial designs database of the European Union.

For each database on the list available to examiners there is an Internet address, retrospective review, and search and browsing options.

Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)

Industrial design applications are registered in the TM-ADMIN system and procedures to export data to the system for the prosecution of applications for inventions, utility models and industrial designs – FGU FIPS automated database – have been developed and introduced.

The FGU FIPS automated database is designed to monitor the prosecution of applications for inventions, utility models and industrial designs, record the payment of patent fees, draw up plans and reports on the activities of examination divisions, prepare data for publication, and receive reports on Rospatent activities that are included in the Rospatent and WIPO Annual Reports.

The system guarantees the entry and registration of application materials and incoming letters, prepares outgoing correspondence, monitors all the processes of the application lifecycle – from the filing of an application to the decision of an examiner (grant, refusal, withdrawal) – and monitors the time taken to consider correspondence and conduct examinations.

The system operates in real time.

The programming languages BASIC, Web-Builder, DISI, RE Screen Editor and WINNIX terminal emulator are used as production means in the Universe SU database environment.

The FGU FIPS automated database system is integrated into the RF Industrial Designs automated system, with the aim of using bibliographic information on an application when preparing correspondence for an applicant.

Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used

Equipment used (industrial design search systems):
HP DL380 server – 8 units.
(OM – 4GB, processors - 2, external memory – 200 GB)
HP DL580 server – 4 units.
(OM – 16GB, processors - 4, external memory - 600 GB)
HP P4, Fujitsu-Siemens workstations - 110 units.

Software:
Solaris, Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP,
Windows 2003 Server, Windows 2008 Server operating systems.

Carriers used:
Ultrium magnetic tapes.

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 Collection (TSPF) provides national and foreign patent documents on all forms of intellectual property subject matter, including industrial designs, as full-text descriptions of invention applications and patents, and bibliographic, abstract, reference, search and other information.

The industrial designs collection is intended for examiners and other categories of users. Information on industrial designs in the All-Russian Patent Technology Library (VPTB) is provided to third party users on a fee-free basis.

The Library premises are equipped with an alarm system and an automatic fire-fighting system.

Collection management, preservation

The industrial designs collection consists of two arrays of documents:

- national and foreign specialist and general Gazettes with sections on industrial designs on different carriers, arranged according to ICID index or Gazette issue number;

- a specialized collection of a broad range of industrial design publications, consisting of materials containing publications from national gazettes with a Russian translation of the name of the industrial design and other literature. This collection is arranged according to ICID indexes with collections of varying depths for each country.

The collection is kept up to date by including current documentation on RF industrial designs and documentation from Rospatent’s foreign partners received under international exchange, as well as by acquiring literature through subscription for major foreign publishers.

The special collection on industrial designs includes:

- full descriptions of the industrial designs of other countries;
- periodicals on industrial design and style;
- advertising brochures and catalogs;
- thematic collections containing publications from the national Gazettes of a range of foreign countries;
- methodology and reference literature.

The collection contains, in total, 2.4 million publications, including:

- full descriptions of the industrial designs of other countries – approximately 120,000;
- national and foreign journals on design and new production methods – over 17,200 copies;
- thematic collections of national Gazettes from a range of other countries – 2.3 million publications;
- a special collection of advertising brochures and catalogs associated with exhibitions, and adverts for new goods and products – 47,500 copies of publications.

A TSPF collection contains official publications on industrial designs produced by different countries for various retrospective periods.
A room has been specially equipped at FIPS VPTB for all categories of users working with industrial design information.

In 2012:

- over 11,900 paper copies, and approximately 1,700 electronic copies of Gazettes were issued;
- 14,400 items from thematic subcollections were issued;
- approximately 10,200 copies of design journals were issued;
- over 90,100 copies of advertising brochures and catalogs were issued.

The industrial designs collection includes books and periodicals on a broad range of theoretical and practical issues of intellectual property protection in Russia and other countries. The collection is available on electronic and paper carriers and contains different types of information sources: national and international law, commentaries and reviews, methodology recommendations, training aids, standards, patent office reports, conference and seminar materials, compilations of court decisions and collections of statistics, etc.

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)

In 2012, users were presented with the Industrial Designs Official Gazette on CD/DVD on subscription, with a frequency of 12 issues per year. Alongside the Official Gazette on disks, the paper Gazette was published (to order).

For new subscribers, and also for the purposes of keeping patent collections up to date, the series of the Industrial Designs Official Gazette published in previous years (2009-2011) were offered on CD/DVD.

In addition, users were offered sets of information on industrial designs for 2005 to 2011 on one DVD each, as well as a retrospective set of an array of information on industrial designs for 1993 to 2004 on one DVD.

All CDs and DVDs are distributed together with MIMOSA software, which provides searching of bibliographic data, ICID indexes, and a list of essential features and also combinations thereof.

Users are also offered the publication International Classification for Industrial Designs (ICID) (ninth edition) on CD and paper.

The Industrial Designs Official Gazette was published on the FIPS Internet site, and the keeping of the registers of Russian industrial designs with an indication of legal status continued. Users are also provided with free access to information on applications for the grant of Russian Federation patents for industrial designs received after January 1, 2007.

In 2012 the Rospatent website provided online access to:

- registers of Russian industrial designs;

- registers containing information on the prosecution of applications for the grant of industrial design patents filed from 2007 to 2012;

- the Rospatent Industrial Designs Official Gazette published in the past month.

Registers of Russian industrial designs contain the following databases:

- an industrial designs database (contains information on 47,000 patents from 1993 to 2012, updated monthly);

- a database of applications for industrial designs (contains information on the prosecution of 25,000 applications filed between 2007 and 2012, updated daily).

The FIPS website provides users with access to:

- the information-search system for industrial designs;

- registers of Russian industrial designs;

- registers containing information on the prosecution of applications filed for the grant of industrial design patents from 2007 to 2012;

- the Rospatent Industrial Designs Official Gazette published in the last month.

Users of the Information-Search System are given access to:

- an industrial designs database (contains information on 47,000 patents from 1993 to 2012, updated monthly);

- the ICID database.

Databases are updated as follows:

- the industrial designs database – monthly;
- the database of applications for industrial designs filed from 2007 to 2012 inclusive – daily.

Users’ work with the information-search system

Examiners are able to work with all databases.

Access to the industrial design database is provided to third party users on a contractual basis.

Free access to the industrial design database is granted to:

- 76 Technology and Innovation Support Centers;

- 84 organizations of the Federal Service of Court Bailiffs;

- 170 organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;

- 11 organizations of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service;

- 16 organizations of the Ministry of Defense;

- 101 organizations of the taxation service.

Third party users are granted free access to:

- a database containing documents published in the most recent Industrial Designs Gazette;

- the ICID database.

All patent document databases contain information on legal status that is updated monthly.

Automated database subsystems for determining legal status use data from official publications that contain information on newly registered protection titles or amendments. Following publication of each Gazette, data on legal status are posted on the Rospatent website in the Information Resources section. The status of industrial design patents may be “valid”, “may terminate validity”, “validity terminated, but may be restored”, and “validity terminated.

Information on the legal status of industrial designs is published in the Industrial Designs Official Gazette (on CD/DVD), in paper publications, and is posted in the following areas of the Rospatent website:

- information on the grant of RF patents for industrial designs;

- information on amendments to the entries of the State Register of Russian Federation Industrial Designs (Notifications section of the Gazette).

On the Rospatent and FIPS websites, open access is provided to the database of applications for industrial designs filed from 2007 to 2012, which contains information on the prosecution of 25,000 applications and is updated daily.

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.

The web page addresses of Office sites providing information relating to filing applications are:

• Administrative regulations for the performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of State functions relating to the organization of the receipt of applications for industrial designs, the consideration and examination thereof, and the grant in accordance with established procedure of Russian Federation industrial design patents:

http://www.rupto.ru/rupto/portal/f5d1e699-1772-11e1-bad7-9c8e9921fb2c#1;

• heading Model Applications and Requests in the Industrial Designs section,

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/industrial_designs/obr_zh;

• Fees section:

http://www.rupto.ru/rupto/portal/4b2be45c-fe19-11e0-77a5-8e000200001f;

Annual Reports of Rospatent:

http://www.rupto.ru/rupto/portal/73b0f20a-2fce-11e1-351c-9c8e9921fb2c.

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 web page addresses of the Office site providing descriptions of information products and services available from the Office:

• Information on subscribing to patent information products – in the Patent Information Products section: Catalog of Publications and Databases,
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/publishing_activities/ ;

How to Access Publications and Databases subsection,
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/publishing_activities/porayad_pr/;

• Carrying out searches – in the Information Resources section: Services, http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/article_6/;

and Information-Search System,
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/;

Open Registers,
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/ subsections;

Industrial Designs in the Electronic Gazettes section,
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/electron_bulletins/industrial_designs/;

• Patent databases – Databases subsection of the Information-Search System section,
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_2/;

• Information on accessing and using resources – in the Information-Search System section: Support,
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_4/;

and Instructions,
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_1a/ subsection.

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

In 2012, approximately 200 complimentary optical disks of national industrial designs were provided free of charge to regional libraries, RF higher education institutions and information centers.

In case of interest, third party users were offered consultations on various aspects of industrial design activities.

Exchange of machine-readable information, e.g., data contained on CD-ROM or magnetic tape

In 2012, under the framework of international exchange, 53 annual sets of the Rospatent Industrial Designs Official Gazette were supplied on optical disks to 47 countries and three organizations.

In 2012, 1,311 copies of industrial design Gazettes were received from 43 countries and one international organization: 36 copies on paper carrier (16 stand alone Gazettes and 20 sections); 162 copies on optical disks, and 509 copies downloaded from the Internet of special Gazettes published separately; and 228 copies on optical disks, and 376 copies downloaded from the Internet of general Gazettes with sections on industrial designs.

Industrial Design Official Gazettes from foreign patent offices, available only on patent office websites, were downloaded onto hard carriers and stored for the State Patent Collection. Overall, Gazettes were downloaded from 26 countries and one organization.

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.)

In 2012, in order to further implement the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) in the Russian Federation, signed between Rospatent and WIPO in Geneva on September 28, 2011, Rospatent continued to implement the measures outlined by the Program to Establish a Network of TISCs, developed jointly by WIPO and national patent offices.

May 24 and 25, 2012. In St Petersburg, a training seminar “Establishing a network of Technology and Innovation Support Centers in Russia and its role in the innovative development of contemporary society” was held at the International Institute of Business and Law (IMBIP), National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (NIU ITMO). The seminar was organized by WIPO, Rospatent, FIPS and NIU ITMO. Participating in the seminar were 55 staff members from 33 Russian commercial organizations from various regions of Russia that provide services with respect to the activities of Technology and Innovation Support Centers. Seven experts from FIPS and one WIPO staff member gave presentations.

June 22 and 23, 2012. In Cheboksary, as part of the Fifth Cheboksary Economic Forum “Time for Strategic Innovation” a practical seminar was held, “Establishing a Network of Technology and Innovation Support Centers in the Russian Federation.” The seminar was organized by WIPO, Rospatent, FIPS, the Ministry for Economic Development, Industry and Trade of the Chuvash Republic, VOIR Chuvash national civil society organization and the National Library of Chuvash Republic (BU CHR). Participants included 35 persons from different regions of Russia, one staff member from Rospatent, four experts from FIPS and one staff member from WIPO. On September 25, 2012, in St Petersburg, as part of the Fifth St Petersburg International Innovation Forum, the First Conference of Russian Technology and Innovation Support Centers was held. The conference was organized by WIPO, Rospatent, FIPS and IMBIP NIU ITMO. Thirty participants from 25 regions of Russia were involved in the work of the conference. Presentations were given by two FIPS experts and one WIPO staff member.

Matters related to information on industrial designs were considered at three conferences, seminars and roundtables on intellectual property held in two regions of Russia and organized by Rospatent in 2012.

From 20 to 23 March, 2012, in Yubileynyy, at the 15th Moscow International Exhibition of Inventions and Innovation Technologies, Archimedes 2012, the competition program, in which representatives from 46 regions of Russia and 18 other countries participated, included the now traditional competition “Best Industrial Design of the Archimedes Exhibition.”

Training courses for national and foreign participants

At FIPS, professional development for employees is organized under the Common Training System (ESO), according to the principle of continuous training from the time of hiring. Both internal and external training methods are used. In order to ensure that the examination of intellectual property applications and the protection titles granted are high quality, great attention is focused on enhancing the skills of both new and experienced examiners. In order for new examiners to acquire the professional skills and knowledge for the high quality and sustainable achievement of set targets, a mentoring system has been set up at FIPS, which assigns each new examiner a mentor.

Every year, in accordance with the quarterly plans for in-house training, approximately 550 training sessions are held in the subdivisions of FIPS. They mostly focus on studying newly released regulatory documents, issues in the performance of examinations, and analyzing the results of internal and external examination quality control and practical law enforcement. The management of each subdivision conducts the sessions. This year, six centralized sessions on contemporary issues in practical law enforcement were held for the managers of the structural subdivisions, as well as staff examiners, research staff and other leading FIPS specialists.

In order to exchange experience with foreign patent offices, three training seminars on familiarity with the law enforcement practices of other patent offices (Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, CAS corporation and USPTO) were held at Rospatent for staff examiners, and administrative and managerial staff from FIPS. The seminars were attended by 153 specialists.

Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)

Rospatent has no special program to help developing countries. Assistance is provided in response to individual requests from the Offices of developing countries.

IX.Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:

Publications concerning different industrial design prosecution procedures and information sources available to users, e.g., books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.

Internet publications from the All-Russian Patent Technology Library Division are available on the FIPS website in the State Patent Collection and VPTB Information Products sections at:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/fonds/.

In the Rospatent and Regions section of the Rospatent website the following Internet publications are published:

• Method-related materials and reviews on protection and defense of the results of intellectual activity to help small and medium-sized enterprises:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/regions/mp;

• Recommendations on the list of essential methodology, legal and patent literature and documentation for the provision of documents for the patent subdivisions and services of the State science and education sector and organizations forming the national nanotechnology network:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/regions/nano_pat.

In order to provide procedural support on the examination of industrial designs, the following advice is available on the FIPS website:

• Recommendations regarding the examination of applications for industrial designs, approved by Rospatent Decree No. 48 of March 31, 2009:
http://www.fips.ru/sitedocs/rec_po.pdf.

In the Information Resources section, information is provided on registrations, with an indication of legal status or stage of prosecution of applications:

Open Registers: http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/.

X. Other relevant matters