Annual Technical Report 2008 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by Croatia (SCIT/ATR/TM/2008/HR)

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.

I. Evolution of registration activities

Changes experienced in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to the previous year

- National applications and registrations
- International applications and registrations (designation HR)
- International Registrations (office of origin HR)
- Total number of active national registrations
- Total number of active international registrations

Changes_experienced_in_terms_of_application_filings_and_registrations_with_respect_to_the_previous_year

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

The number of trademark applications filed by national route increased by 16, 4% compared to the previous year.
About 60% of the national applications originated from the Croatian commercial entities
The majority of applications were filed in the class 35 and 41 followed by the classes 16, 42, 25 and 29.

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

Monthly official Gazette published on web pages of SIPO Croatia provides statistics: http://www.dziv.hr/webcontent/file_library/izvori_inf/glasnik_tablica.htm

II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes

Publishing, printing, copying techniques

Since the 2006 Official Gazette of the Office (joint Gazette including data on all types of industrial property) is published monthly on paper and on digital carrier (upon order), and current issue (but not archive) is available in electronic form free of charge on Office's web site(www.dziv.hr).

Official Gazette contains the following published information on trademarks: Trade Marks Applications Filed, Trade Marks Registered, The Withdrawal or Restriction of the Application, The Invalidity of the Trade Marks, The Revocation of the Trade Marks, The Renewal of Registration of Trade Marks.

Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of trademark information

Office notices are published in the Official Gazette of the Office (paper form and on-line), as well as on the Office’s web site.

Mass storage media and microforms used

The bibliographic data are stored in Ingres 2.6 database and trademark images are stored in a LINUX network file directory.
The Office maintains a complete history of its trademark files in paper form and all information for trademarks applied from 2000 to date in electronic form.

Word processing and office automation

All staff uses MS-Word 2000 for word-processing that is operating in a Windows XP Professional environment.
Outgoing letters and SIPO’s gazette are fully automated and generated in MS Word.

Techniques used for the generation of trademark information (printing, recording, photocomposing, etc.)

The bibliographic data are stored in the SIPO’s database via the application “Trademark’s Register” (which is developed in INGRES OpenROAD application development tool). Trademark images are stored on network discs (which are LINUX file directories).
Output documents and SIPO’s gazette are produced from automated MS Word templates.
Almost each outgoing letter is a MS Word template that consists of permanent text. Data, which are changeable and depend on application/publication number are retrieved from the SIPO’s database via ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity). A trademark’s image is imported from the network disc.
All publishing data in SIPO's Gazette are formatted and followed by the INID codes according to the WIPO standard ST.60.

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online trademark gazettes and to other sources of trademark information, including download of bulk trademark data

Current issue of the Office Gazette (joint Gazette including data on all types of industrial property) is available at:
http://www.dziv.hr/en/webcontent/file_library/inf_sources/glasnik_tablica.htm

Free of charge searchable data base containing published information on trademarks applied for or registered is available at:
http://www.dziv.hr/DigitalLibrary/default.asp?izb=en

A range of search options is available, including Date of Application, Proprietor, Attorney, Mark, Nice Class, Vienna class.

III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of trademark information

Classification and reclassification activities; Classification systems used, e.g., International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification), International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks (Vienna Classification), other classification (please indicate whether goods and services for the registration of marks and whether the figurative elements of marks are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification(s) is (are) used)

The Nice Classification Systems of Goods and Services, 9th edition, is used for the registration of marks. Our Classification specialist checks if the correct classification and wording is used.
For figurative marks Vienna classification (5th edition) is applied by office staff at the time of application. Marks are scanned and the Vienna classification allocated.

Use of electronic classification systems to check the classification symbols furnished by an applicant and which are contained in the lists of goods and/or services

No electronic classification systems are used to check the lists of goods and services provided by applicants. Classification is checked only manually by the Office specialists.

Obligation for applicants to use pre-defined terms of the classification applied

The applicants are not obliged to use pre-defined terms of the classification system.

Bibliographic data and processing

Bibliographic data elements and classifications are searchable. The images are displayed together with these data elements.
This search is available in-house and via Internet.

IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep

File Building

Trademark applications are made in paper forms that are available on our web site page. Cannot be filed electronically for the time being.
Applications are built into paper case files and kept in the office area until the procedure for registration is finished. Afterwards they are stored in the archive area in the same building.

Updating

The search files contain HR domestic marks; designations to the HR under the Madrid system are updated monthly. All searches performed by examiners are completed using an automated search system.

V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems

In-house systems (online/offline)

Trademark search system is executed by electronic means. The database includes active national trademarks and international trademarks in Croatia.

External databases

Access to the database ROMARIN and MADRID express is available and also used for information services.

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

Applications are developed in INGRES OpenROAD. SIPO uses an INGRES database. An application “Trademark’s Register” is used for filing all bibliographic data concerning the particular trademark. All trademark changes (change of ownership, change of name, address, licence, etc.) are recorded and are maintained by Trademark Register user interface.

Since year 2000 SIPO has developed its own document management system in electronic form that covers office needs (all incoming and outgoing documents have been scanned in Adobe Acrobat).
International trademark data in XML format are weekly loaded from the WIPO’s ftp site. After processing data are available through the application “MECA”. Those data are used for examination and publication purposes.
MS Word is used for automatic generation of output documents. MS Excel is used for (automatic) generation of specific reports, which are used, for annual SIPO’s report, WIPO statistics and for other purposes (improving trademark processes).

Published trademark data (applications/grants) can be searched at the SIPO’s Internet site
http://www.dziv.hr/digitallibrary through the SIPO's web-server application (MS Windows 2003 server and mySQL database).

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

- 10Mbit/s leased line used for Internet connection, CISCO Network Equipment (LAN based on Fast Ethernet - 1000/100/10 Mbit/s).

- MICROSOFT environment:
- Servers: PC/WIN Server 2003 St. Ed. ; Fujitsu Siemens-Primergy RX 300/ Win SERVER 2003 St. Ed.
- Workstations: PC Pentium IV with WIN XP PROF. or WIN 2000 PROF.
- MS Exchange 2003 Server Enterprise, ISA 2004 ( proxy ).

- Linux ( SUSE Distribution - Enterprise Server 8 ) - two cluster application: database and file sharing. Two server nodes ( type of cluster is fail over ) on Fujitsu Siemens-Primergy RX 600 Servers. The cluster software is FujitsuSiemens Primecluster ver. 4.1 A30 for Linux.
- SAN (storage area network) connected with fiber channel switches to server nodes and backup device. SAN is consists of two FiberCAT CX500 (EMC ) devices. Each of them has two-service processor and 10 disks in
RAID-5 system (9 x 146 Gb FC disks + 1 x 146 Gb FC hotspare disk).
- Backup software is Backbone NetVault 7.1. Backup device is a MTC – 9084-221 FC (tape library) with two LTO 2 tape drives and 21 slot tape robot connected to fiber channel switch. Also the library offers a mail slot for exchanging offsite/onsite tapes. Total capacity installed on MTC
library is 4 Tb of uncompressed data.

VI. Administration of trademark information products and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering trademarks, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts)

Planning, administration, automation, security

SIPO Croatia offers free information services on general legal matters, registration procedures, status of registered trademarks (national as well as international). The inquires can be made by phone, at the SIPO premises or by e-mail. Registry extracts are available upon request and payable. Copies of the file contents are available upon written request and payable.

Collection management, preservation

The trademark search collection is managed in electronic form. Data are refreshed at the end of the month (the publication date). A structured backup regime is in place to ensure preservation of the information.

Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and trademark information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)

Trademark information services for the public are provided through the Office’s Intellectual Property Information Centre (INCENTIV as Patlib centre) providing (among others) information concerning trademark applications filing, telephone queries, procedure information etc., and the public reading room where free of charge search of non-commercial trademark information is available). Information can be requested also by e-mail (info@dziv.hr) . Commercial trademark search services (upon charge) by Office specialist are also available upon order.
The SIPO library is runing by IP Information Centre-INCENTIV. The collections contain over 720 books, 62 Croatian and foreign periodicals available to the readers, all specialized in IP. The library is open to the public Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, except Thurday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.
Close to the library is installed reading room.

State Intellectual Office of the Republic of Croatia is a partner in the CETMOS service offering trade mark search in the national and international trade mark registers of 9 countries, i.e. Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as well as in the register of Community trade marks valid in the territory of the European Union. CETMOS service is available upon a single order, covering all the participating states, and operated under short deadlines and a favourable schedule of fees.

Navigation:
Homepage: http://www.dziv.hr

Information on Commercial Search Services:
http://www.dziv.hr/en/webcontent/file_library/inf_services/searching_serv_LNK.htm

Searchable free of charge Database:
http://www.dziv.hr/DigitalLibrary/default.asp?izb=en

General information on trademarks and related services:
INCENTIV – Intellectual Property Information Centre
Phone: +385 1 610 98 25; fax: +385 1 611 20 17; e-mail: info@dziv.hr
http://www.dziv.hr/webcontent/file_library/inf_usluge/Incentiv.htm

URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of trademark applications

Not applicable, no electronic filing of trademark applications is available.

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 trademarks; opposition and appeal procedures related to trademarks; etc.

A/m information available from:
http://www.dziv.hr/en/default.aspx?pArtID=47&selection=1 (in English) http://www.dziv.hr/default.aspx?pArtID=61&selection=1 (in Croatian)

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., trademark search service(s) and trademark databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them

Information on Commercial Search Services:
http://www.dziv.hr/en/webcontent/file_library/inf_services/searching_serv_LNK.htm

Searchable free of charge Database:
http://www.dziv.hr/DigitalLibrary/default.asp?izb=en

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of trademark documentation and information

International or regional cooperation in the exchange of trademark information, e.g., in the form of official gazettes

SIPO regularly exchanges official gazettes (either in paped or on digital carrier) with 30+ industrial property offices around the world.
Since 2007 SIPO Croatia pariticipates at “CETMOS” service that offers trade mark search in the national and international trade mark registers of 9 countries, i.e. Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as well as in the register of Community trade marks valid in the territory of the European Union. CETMOS service is available upon a single order, covering all the participating states, and operated under short deadlines and a favourable schedule of fees.

Exchange of machine-readable information

No exchange of machine readable information on nationally registered trademarks.

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.)

As a part of its operations SIPO regularly organizes different promotional activities on all IP issues (including trademarks) . This particularly relates to organization of information stands on different public events and related advertising.

12th University of Zagreb Fair, 3rd to 5th April 2008
MSNTP 2008 - International Fair of New Technologies and Products, Rijeka, 16th to 18th April 2008
AGRO-ARCA 2008 - 1st Exhibition of Innovations, New Ideas, Products and Technologies in Agriculture and Food Industry, Slatina, 18th to 20th April 2008
MOS 2008 - International Crafts Fair within the Spring Zagreb Trade Fair, 22nd to 26th April 2008
ARCA 2008 - 6th International Exhibition of Innovations, New Ideas, Products and Technologies within the Autumn Zagreb Trade Fair, 16th to 21st September 2008
SASO 2008 - 13th International Trade Fair, Split, 22nd to 26th October 2008

Training courses for national and foreign participants

In 2008, the Office continued to carry out its promotional and educational activities, introducing several important changes. A significant step forward in the systematic development of its educational activities was made by the establishment of the Training and Development of Use of Intellectual Property Section, following the re-organization of the Office that took place in March 2008.
After the completion of intensive education of employees within several CARDS projects, the Sector organized permanent education of employees within several internal seminars, inter alia:
Basic Course for Information Experts in the Field of Intellectual Property (INCENTIV), SIPO, Zagreb, February 2008
and develops public educational programs in the field of intellectual property in cooperation with its partners:
One-day Seminar „Intellectual Property Rights“, introductory course on intellectual property rights for the members of the institutions participating in BIZimpact project – MELE, CASB, CCE, CCTC, CEA, Agency for Protection of Market Competition, State Inspectorate, Customs Administration, MELE, Zagreb, February 2008
Lecture „Introduction to Intellectual Property“ for students of the Medical School of the University of Zagreb, February 2008, and students of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Zagreb, Study of Design, Zagreb, May 2008
Lecture „Protection of Intellectual Property and Use of Industrial Property Data for Business Purposes“ for students of the – Vern’ Polytechnic, Zagreb, April 2008
A two-week International Summer School on Intellectual Property intended for young professionals and students was successfully organized in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization and the University of Dubrovnik, for the first time, in Croatia.

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

No related activities in year 2008.

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 trademarks

http://www.dziv.hr/en/default.aspx?pArtID=58&selection=5

contain the Annual Report of the Office

http://www.dziv.hr/webcontent/file_library/izvori_inf/

Office’s web-site: http://www.dziv.hr/

contain trademark-related news regarding the Office

News are available at the Office web site on the “news page” http://www.dziv.hr/

X. Other relevant matters