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Where URLs are requested below, it is preferred that either URLs which a= re 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 acce= ss the corresponding information.
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) plays an important role=
in economic policy. This is also clear from the Office=E2=80=99s official =
document on appropriations, where the output goal is to =E2=80=9Cpromote su=
stainable growth and increased employment through measures aimed at increas=
ed competitiveness and more, growing companies=E2=80=9D. The output goal is=
then supplemented with an operational goal, which states: =E2=80=9CPRV mus=
t supply efficient and appropriate systems for the registration of industri=
al rights, as well as work to improve the conditions for enterprise and ent=
repreneurship through appropriate and qualitative information and service o=
n matters relating to intellectual property.=E2=80=9D
The operational goal clearly shows that intellectual property rights rest =
on two foundations: registration and information.
PRV has successfully managed the first of these by supplying efficient and=
appropriate systems for testing and registering applications for legal pro=
tection. The second foundation, which is also important from a growth persp=
ective, has previously had to take a back seat, in particular on those occa=
sions where the focus has been on redressing the balance of applications. D=
uring the past year, PRV has drawn up a strategic plan which clearly specif=
ies that active efforts regarding increased awareness of intellectual prope=
rty rights (IPR) are an essential element in achieving the output goal that=
applies to the operation.
The strategic plan also presents PRV=E2=80=99s vision:
=E2=80=A2 PRV is the natural centre for intellectual property rights in Sw=
eden.
=E2=80=A2 PRV is internationally respected and an energetic, customer-orie=
nted authority.
In order to achieve this vision, PRV needs to focus on a number of strateg=
ic cornerstones. These are:
=E2=80=A2 PRV markets and makes IPR available
=E2=80=A2 PRV is customer-oriented
=E2=80=A2 PRV is an energetic authority
=E2=80=A2 PRV is an internationally recognised player
The fact that the processes and procedures maintain a high level of qualit=
y was documented through the ISO 9001 certification that the Office underwe=
nt during the year.
The delivery times are specified as objectives in the official document on=
appropriations and are an important parameter in the internal planning and=
following-up. The objectives have been tightened up over the years, usuall=
y at PRV=E2=80=99s own initiative, and can now be tightened up even further=
if the quality of the Office=E2=80=99s services is to be maintained.
<=
br>
The Designs and Trademarks Department handles PRV=E2=80=99s assignment to =
be the central administrative authority for applications regarding trademar=
ks, designs, personal names (surnames and first names), as well as keeping =
a register of periodicals and municipal coats of arms.
The output goals in the official document on appropriations mean that the =
activities within those areas that are organised within the Designs and Tra=
demarks Department are targeted at:
=E2=80=A2 satisfying the operational goals according to the official docum=
ent on appropriations
=E2=80=A2 providing high quality, rapid service within the relevant areas =
=E2=80=A2 supplying information about the content of the operation=E2=80=
=99s various registers in an effective manner
=E2=80=A2 monitoring international developments
=E2=80=A2 conducting a dialogue with users regarding how the department=E2=
=80=99s various operations can be developed
The operational goals were further tightened up for 2007 =E2=80=93 at PRV=
=E2=80=99s own initiative. PRV=E2=80=99s starting point has consequently be=
en to calculate delivery times that, with a strong focus on pure applicatio=
n production, have just been deemed possible to achieve at the start of the=
year.
By the end of the year, all the goals had been achieved within the fields =
of designs, personal names and periodicals. In total, 13 out of 18 goals we=
re achieved. The goals that were not achieved were within the national trad=
emarks area. The reason for this could derive in part from the significant =
increase in the number of incoming applications. Productivity at the Tradem=
arks unit has risen by 6 percent. However, this has not been sufficient to =
satisfy the goals, as the number of received applications has increased by =
10 percent since the previous year.
In order to satisfy the increasing demand and to be able consistently to a=
chieve the operational goals regarding national applications, the Trademark=
s unit has recruited six new agents in addition to the replacement recruitm=
ents. These six completed their agent training at the end of the year. The =
department has also commenced an expansion of skills amongst employees in o=
rder to be able to use the resources more flexibly within the department. <=
br>
One clear international trend is that it has become increasingly important=
for businesses to protect their intellectual property assets. At the same =
time, this has resulted in there being many times more protective rights va=
lid for Sweden than there were ten years ago. The existence of several para=
llel protection systems makes it easier for applicants to obtain protective=
rights that correspond to their own needs, but at the same time is increas=
ing the =E2=80=9Ccompetition=E2=80=9D between national and international sy=
stems. There are still a great many applicants who only want to operate on =
a local market, and for whom a simple application procedure and proximity t=
o the registration authority are important.
National trademark, received applications
1997 11,440
1998 9,600
1999 9,500
2000 9,600
2001 8,000
2002 8,500
2003 7,700
2004 8,700
2005 9,900
2006 10,100
2007 11,300
International trademark, received applications
1997 3,400
1998 5,750
1999 6,300
2000 7,400
2001 7,000
2002 5,800
2003 5,800
2004 5,300
2005 5,000
2006 4,200
2007 3,700
National trademark, received renewals
1999 4,200
2000 5,200
2001 6,800
2002 9,900
2003 6,300
2004 6,800
2005 7,300
2006 8,100
2007 6,300
National trademark, changes in databases
1999 6,400
2000 8,100
2001 7,400
2002 7,000
2003 6,000
2004 6,700
2005 8,000
2006 6,300
2007 7,100
Search reports from OHIM
1999 40,000
2000 49,000
2001 54,000
2002 41,000
2003 42,000
2004 70,000
2005 68,000
2006 75,000
2007 89,000
The increase in the number of national applications is continuing and is s=
trongly linked to growth in the economy. Similar developments can be witnes=
sed in several European countries. The trend is most clear when it comes to=
small and medium-sized companies.
The potential to carry out an electronic trademark application including e=
lectronic payment has been a great success. During 2006, 63 percent of all =
national applications were submitted in this way and the proportion in 2007=
has increased to 67 percent.
During the year, the volume of international applications (applications un=
der the Madrid Protocol) continued to decrease. The potential to design thr=
oughout the (whole of the) EU will probably entail a further reduction.
Productivity at the Trademarks unit has risen by 6 percent. However, this =
has not been sufficient to satisfy the goals, as the number of received app=
lications has increased by 10 percent.
Out of the total balance of applications for objections, 107 were awaiting=
action by PRV compared with 169 in the previous year.
The quantity of available resources in 2007 was approximately 4 person-yea=
rs fewer than in 2006.
As the level of staff turnover has generally been high during the year, pa=
rticularly among attorneys, this has resulted in production capacity being =
significantly lower than in the previous year. The training of new employee=
s has further influenced capacity.
The official gazette =E2=80=9DTrademark Gazette=E2=80=9D is issued every=
week. This gazette contains the announcements of the official data concern=
ing new registrations, modifications, renewals, cancellations and correctio=
ns. At the end of every year a complete, bounded, gazette is published cont=
aining every change during the year.
The gazette is produced in an automatic way and all information is coming =
from the IT-system and the database. The gazette is available through our h=
omepage.
An electronic newsletter is published. The newsletter contains information=
about official reports, reporting and development in the office.
A complete annual =E2=80=9CTrademark Gazette=E2=80=9D is also produced.
Trademarks are classified according to the Nice Classification of Goods =
and Services, 9th edition.
Applicants have to state the classifications according to the Nice system.=
The specifications must be specified and not in terms of =E2=80=9Dall avai=
lable goods for the class=E2=80=9D. The employees in the Department then co=
nvert the information into actual class. By doing this we use the computer =
system.
When customer makes electronic filing, they have to use the official Class=
ification of Good and Services before e-filing the application to the PRV. =
That information is correct when receiving into the office. The result wil=
l be easier and more rapidly examination in the office. This is one way to =
stimulate the business companies.
The figurative elements of trademarks are classified according to the Vien=
na Classification 5th edition.
Bibliographic data used for search purpose are Nice class number, goods an=
d services respectively, name of applicant/holder and name of counsel.
=
The Department have scanned all the national figurative marks. The Depar=
tment continued the process by building up an electronic database consisted=
of all the figurative marks.
The figurative marks are now kept in a database and reachable by use of th=
e IT-system. All manual work for searching is closed.
All paper documents related to national and international applications are=
kept in a paper-built archive. The Department is moving to an electronic w=
ay in the daily working but this process will take time. So far all outgoin=
g correspondence is available within the IT-system.
The process continued to change from manual to electronic search file. Sin=
ce many years an electronic search file system is up and running for the na=
tional figurative marks.
The department continued to store also international applications and EU-a=
pplications in the same database. Nowadays a modern database is upheld and =
consist of all relevant trademark applications including images.
The Department is connected to the system Internet and to E-mail. All em=
ployees have there own e-mailaddress and there is also official e-mailaddre=
sses for the Department. Every employee has his own p.c., which is connecte=
d in a local area network with two local NTservers. By an ATM communication=
-line the Department in the city S=C3=B6derhamn then is connected with the =
IBM mainframe and other servers in Stockholm.
The examination system (Ptolemy) has been very important tool for the Depa=
rtment in the ambition to streamline the process and reduce the examination=
time. This system is tight connected with the search system (Acsepto).
In the year 2006 the same IT-system was expanded and it became possible to=
register and examine also design applications.
PRV=E2=80=99s business development includes close and ongoing contacts w=
ith its customers.
All processes in the department have been charted, analysed and updated du=
ring the first half of the year, and are now available via PRVision under T=
he way we work.
A customer satisfaction index investigation was carried out during the fir=
st quarter of 2007 with the aid of Statistics Sweden. A paper questionnaire=
was sent out to customers within all four business branches.
The results show that the customers are very satisfied. The areas of impro=
vement are the same for all the business branches =E2=80=93 information and=
processing. In the survey, it emerged that approximately 60 percent of the=
respondents would have submitted applications via PRV=E2=80=99s website if=
this service had been offered, and that approximately 40 percent wished to=
monitor their applications via the website.
During the year, intensive quality work has been conducted throughout the =
entire authority, resulting in ISO certification in November 2007.
In order to improve quality, quality checks are now carried out for tradem=
ark applications. Since June when the checks relating to trademarks commenc=
ed, 379 trademark applications have been inspected as regards quality. The =
result of this is that the processes have been successively improved since =
the examination results are leading to process analyses.
Within the Trademarks area there is a marked increase in demand for prelim=
inary investigations. The number of assignments (142) satisfies the goal (8=
9) with an achievement level of 160 percent.
Demand for international searches has increased. At present, these are per=
formed in the national authorities=E2=80=99 databases. A venture will be im=
plemented in 2008 in order to search more effectively in the collective dat=
abases of the commercial database hosts.
Monitoring regarding designs and trademarks is still experiencing low dema=
nd, but despite this is still slightly above the budgeted target.
On the whole, all assignments are conducted within PRV InterPat, although =
in order to maintain expertise and the potential for backup in the event of=
illness and holiday, an exchange takes place between the Designs and Trade=
marks Department and PRV InterPat.
The international work is continuing with the establishment of an IT stand=
ard for communication and the transfer of information relating to applicati=
on and registration details. Collaboration is taking place with WIPO and OH=
IM.
During the first half of 2007, the new IT system was approved and commissi=
oned for the processing of design applications. The business branches Trade=
marks and Industrial Designs therefore employ the same system, which has cr=
eated good opportunities for co-ordination benefits.
During 2007, PRV has drawn up a strategic plan for the period 2007=E2=80=
=932010. Within the strategic plan, the focus has to a great extent been pl=
aced on marketing and on making intellectual property rights (IPR) availabl=
e. The background to this is the conviction that IPR is a central competiti=
ve tool for the Swedish export industry, as well as the insight that awaren=
ess and knowledge of intellectual property rights systems in Swedish busine=
ss are at a worryingly low level.
PRV is continually working to distribute general information about various=
industrial rights, about its own operations and about the content of relev=
ant databases via various channels. The vision is for all innovators, entre=
preneurs and other stakeholders to be aware of the value of patent, tradema=
rk and design systems, and to make an active choice when it comes to using =
intellectual property rights.
PRV=E2=80=99s single most important information channel is the external we=
bsite www.prv.se. The site had approximately 1.6 million hits in 2007 divid=
ed between approximately 750,000 individual visitors (for the whole PRV). A=
new version was launched at the end of the year following intensive work. =
Both people visiting us for the first time and more professional users will=
benefit from the content, as well as being able to navigate clearly and lo=
gically to the desired information or services. For this reason, the users =
have also been involved in the development work through user tests. PRV=E2=
=80=99s website has essentially also been translated into English.
Since 1 November 2007, PRV and some twenty other patent and trademark offi=
ces have been partners in an EU project in the field of intellectual proper=
ty rights that is targeted at small and medium-sized companies. In addition=
to authorities, research and innovation organisations with considerable ex=
perience of intellectual property rights are included. The purpose is to in=
crease companies=E2=80=99 interest in and knowledge about intellectual prop=
erty rights, as well as to integrate intellectual property rights in innova=
tion strategy and business processes.
PRV is also participating in trade fairs with the aim of increasing knowle=
dge about IPR, primarily among small and medium-sized companies. By attendi=
ng labour market days at the institutes and universities of technology, stu=
dents have obtained information about both PRV and the value of IPR. Every =
year, attention is also paid to the World Intellectual Property Day on 26 A=
pril, involving various programme points. The collaboration with Almi and V=
INNOVA enables PRV to reach its customers with information about intellectu=
al property rights. During the year, PRV has also participated in a televis=
ion series involving a progression from concept to market introduction in 7=
2 hours.
Information about relevant areas of protection can also be found in a numb=
er of brochures that PRV produces and supplies.
PRV also has a library, which is a national source of expertise in the fie=
ld of intellectual property rights. The library is open during office hours=
and has a reading room where the general public can obtain qualified assis=
tance.
In order not to exclude customers who currently do not have access to the =
Internet or who require information or assistance in some other way, there =
is a separate, PRV-wide customer service operation that is staffed during n=
ormal office hours. It receives more than 80,000 calls each year. Common qu=
estions include identifying the appropriate form of protection on the basis=
of a described situation, gaining assistance in finding information in var=
ious databases, or obtaining information about the current status of variou=
s applications.
PRV has also introduced a systematic system for receiving and processing c=
ustomer opinions. The system is administered by the customer service functi=
on.
In line with PRV=E2=80=99s intentions, training in information security =
has been carried out for all personnel in S=C3=B6derhamn.
The conversion of premises for customer services, the registry office, cas=
hier=E2=80=99s office and mail office was completed during the autumn of 20=
07.
Our perception is that knowledge about IPR is still worryingly low, partic=
ularly among small and medium-sized companies. On the basis of the strategi=
c plan, PRV is currently establishing a market organisation that will be re=
sponsible for PRV=E2=80=99s aggressive market efforts. The surplus that exi=
sts in the operation provides the economic opportunities. PRV will propose =
both increased training efforts as well as assistance and support for innov=
ators.
In the PRVLink portal, the trademark database has had a proper facelift in=
cluding a number of new search services. Also worthy of mention are the pot=
ential to save monitoring profiles, search for figure classes, search for q=
uotes and select between text and figure presentation. The trademark sectio=
n is the last in the portal to be provided in English. All the databases in=
the portal have also been provided with a common login, which makes it eas=
ier for customers who use several of the databases.
It is now also possible for customers to view the balance in their deposit=
account via PRVLink.
Goal achievement for the Course unit in 2007 was 102 percent for =E2=80=9C=
Open courses=E2=80=9D and 117 percent for =E2=80=9CCourses adapted to compa=
ny requirements=E2=80=9D. The =E2=80=9CAssistant Day 2007=E2=80=9D has also=
been conducted, with 120 participants.
There is reduced demand in the fields of industrial designs and trademarks=
. PRV, together with IBC Euroforum and a firm of attorneys, has planned and=
implemented the =E2=80=9CTrademark Day 2007=E2=80=9D.
Employees from PRV have participated in several national and international=
working groups, meetings and conferences during the year.
At the end of the year the department had 100 employees, corresponding t=
o 75 person-years.
49 person-years were exclusively working with trademark issues. Staff turn=
over (excluding retirements) amounted to 5.9 percent.
An annual survey of the physical working environment has been carried out.=
The purpose was to chart which measures were required in the physical work=
ing environment at various levels: individual, per section/unit/department =
and for shared premises. Action plans including measures have subsequently =
been drawn up.
The management group at the department was transformed at the end of June =
into a strategic management team comprising departmental manager, unit mana=
gers, departmental attorney and business controller.
The combination of the commissioning of the new design system, the expansi=
on of skills within the unit and the transfer of five individuals to custom=
er services constitute the basis for a reorganisation of the Trademarks uni=
t. This unit now comprises three sections, two of which handle both interna=
tional and national trademarks while the third handles RAD applications and=
design applications. The outcome is a more flexible and thereby more cost-=
effective organisation.
During the year, an expansion of skills among the operations in the depart=
ment has been launched. The expansion of skills is a precondition for a mor=
e flexible use of the resources within the department.
Total income, for the whole Designs and Trademarks Department, amounted to=
SEK 69.5 million, compared with the budgeted figure of SEK 61.5 million. T=
he largest deviations from budget can be seen in the areas of registration =
fees and fees for applications under the Madrid Protocol.
Total costs, for the whole Designs and Trademarks Department, amounted to =
SEK 70.1 million, compared with the budgeted figure of SEK 70.3 million. Th=
e result was a loss of SEK -0.6 million, which is considerably better than =
the budget figure of SEK -8.8 million.
The income, related to trademark, amounted to SEK 53,9 million, compared w=
ith the budgeted figure of SEK 47,2 million. The largest deviations from bu=
dget can be seen in the areas of registration fees and fees for application=
s under the Madrid Protocol.
The costs, related to trademark, amounted to SEK 50,4 million, compared wi=
th the budgeted figure of SEK 51,8 million. The result was a profit of SEK =
3,5 million, which is considerably better than the budget figure of SEK -4,=
6 million.
Yours sincerely
Mr Gunnar Lindbom
Project Manager
Designs and Trademarks Department