Annual Technical Report 2003 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Austria (SCIT/ATR/ID/2003/AT)
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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
The following numbers of application and registration of industrial designs in Austria in 2003 are presented below in comparison with the numbers in 2002 (=100%):
Design applications 2.913 in 2003 - 33,96%
4.411 in 2002
Design registrations 5.242 in 2003 + 20,99%
4.333 in 2002
The comparative numbers do not identify any trend because collective applications for several industrial designs belonging to the same class are admitted.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes
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The bibliographic data and images (only one image for one industrial design) of the registered designs are published in the Austrian Design Gazette once a month. The gazette is published on paper form only.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information
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The bibliographic data together with the classification symbols, a short description of the design and the images are stored in the industrial design data base of the office. The images are stored on PCs, the other data elements on magnetic disks.
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of industrial design information according to the classification systems applied
Industrial design applications are classified according to the International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification).
The classification symbols are allotted by the applicant. The symbols are checked afterwards by the office and, if necessary, corrected.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
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Only electronic search files are used. The files are built up according to the Locarno Classification Scheme and are regularly updated.
Bibliographic data elements and classification symbols are searchable. The images are displayed together with these data elements.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
The Austrian Design Gazette is mutually exchanged on a bilateral basis with almost all of the PCT Member States.
These gazettes are stored in the reading room of the public library.
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
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An online in-house system is installed using an internal industrial design data base. No external database is integrated.
External online access to the bibliographic data is available via password given by the Austrian Patent Office/Service and Information Center.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics, administrative support, etc.)
The application and registration procedure, the examination for legality, the administration of the design register and the execution of the statistics are completely performed by an EDP management system.
A project to allow for access to the images of industrial designs registered in Austria via the Internet-Information system of the office was started in 2000 and finalized in 2001. The first image of an industrial design is displayed in addition to the bibliographic data. This service is liable to a fee.
An electronic registry for Appeals and Nullities including work-flow information is installed. The registry is accessible via the Intranet of the office.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used
Hardware equipment:
Siemens H 80; Operating system: BS 2000; Number of terminals or emulation : 5
Software: Cobol
Data carriers: magnetic disks for bibliographic data, PC for images.
VI. Administration of industrial design 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)
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The Austrian Patent Office offers free information services concerning legal questions, details of registration procedures, property rights or due fees, which can be submitted verbally (personally or by phone).
Legal and technical experts of the Austrian Patent Office can be consulted for legal and technical questions in connection with an intellectual property right, a pending application or for an intended application. The legal information service is available personally or by telephone free of charge on all working days.
At the information centre in the Austrian Patent Office information is provided by telephone or personally about all national intellectual property applications and granted rights, about published European and international patent applications designated for Austria, as well as about registered international trademarks with effect for Austria, and about community trademarks of the European Union. This information covers all bibliographic data of the mentioned protection rights. This inquiry can also be made in the library by self-service (with support of the library personnel) on computer workstations.
The register administrators of the Austrian Patent Office provide information concerning the current legal status of all effective patents, utility models, semiconductor rights, supplementary protection certificates, trademarks and designs. The officials in charge can be consulted at their consultation hours about specific applications, e.g. the correct trademark or design classification of a sign or product.
Information services of the Service and Information Center (TRF)
The Service and Information Center of the Austrian Patent Office (TRF) commenced its activities in the fall of 1994 pursuant to the appropriate regulations of the amendment of the Patent Law of 1992 and the corresponding ordinance of 1994. The central purpose of the founding of this enterprise was to offer customer-oriented service and information products in the area of patents, trademarks and designs in a commercial manner. In the field of industrial designs, the following services are offered
Written information:
The Service and Information Sector also establishes written information concerning industrial designs on request.
Uncertified register extract:
This information product concerning , among others, industrial designs covers data with regard to the owner of the property right as well as data of the application and registration.
Express service:
Register extracts as well as written information are supplied within 24 hours after receipt of order by fax and soon also by email upon request.
External on-line information:
Internet access to the database of the Austrian Patent Office for information concerning patents, utility models, designs and supplementary protection certificates is available.
The homepage of the Austrian Patent Office contains general information as well as detailed references for applicants concerning forms for application and the current fees for all industrial property rights, namely patent, utility model, trademark, design, supplementary protection certificate as well as semiconductor protection. All register data, especially information about time limit and amount of the next annual fee, are free of charge. Full access to the database of the Austrian Patent Office, which covers all property rights for Austria according to different search criteria, e.g. owner, inventor, international patent classification, application and register number, is made possible by using a password.
Address of the Austrian Homepage:
http://www.patent.bmvit.gv.at or http://www.patentamt.at
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
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For further information about activities of the office in 2003 one is also referred to the “Annual Report of the Austrian Patent Office 2003”, published in German and English on the home page of the office.