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The number of trademark applications filed by national route shows the decrease of 13.3% in comparison with the previous year. The number of trademarks applicants that renounced the application in the final phase of payment for the maintenance for the first ten years and for the publication of the trademark registration was at 7% against the total number of applications in 2013. The legal institute of reinstatements of rights as a relief measure was used by 27% of those applicants who missed the time limits for the payments of maintenance fees.
In 2013 the majority of national applications were filed in class 35 and 41 followed by the classes 09, 16 and 05.
The number of national registrations increased for 13.5% in comparison with the previous year partly because the total number of applications for the examination decreased.
The number of international applications (designations HR) and proportionally the number of international registrations (designations HR) continues to fall as a consequence of the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. In comparison to the previous year the number of international applications decreased 13% while the number of international registration decreased 20%.
The number of international registrations (office of origin HR) in 2013 decreased for 15% in comparison with the 2012
Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.
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Official Gazette:
http://www.dziv.hr/en/the-croatian-intellectual-property-gazette/
Trademark search:
http://www.dziv.hr/hr/e-usluge/pretrazivanje-baza-podataka/zig/ (HR)
http://www.dziv.hr/en/e-services/on-line-database-search/trademarks/ (EN)
The information regarding published trademark applications and registrations is also available in the Office database containing public data from the Trademarks register, accessible through the Office website, free of charge. A range of search options is available including: Application Date, Registration Data, Proprietor, Attorney, Mark, Nice Class, Vienna class, Appearance, Register number.
The Office maintains a complete history of its trademark files in paper form (except files that are filed electronically/through e-filling) and all information for trademarks applied from the year 2000 to date in electronic form.
With the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union the same trade mark information is available in the TMview database (common search tool for trademarks of participating trade mark offices, at national, international and EU level).
Matters concerning classifying
(i) 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
(ii) Use of electronic classification systems and pre-defined terms of the classification applied
The Nice Classification Systems of Goods and Services 10th edition, is used for the registration of marks.
TMclass as a common tool of the Office for Harmonization at the Internal Market of the European Union and the participating national offices containing pre-defined terms of the classification is at the disposal that helps applicants with the classification of goods and services. The Office is supplying data to TMclass among other participating Offices. The database of pre-defined terms is available in Croatian language. The Office developed proprietary database assisting applicants to generate list of goods and services from the TMclass in the proper format:
http://www.dziv.hr/hr/intelektualno-vlasnistvo/zigovi/medjunarodna-klasifikacija-proizvoda-i-usluga/
The classification specialist of the Office checks if the correct classification and wording is used in line with the common set of principles of the Trademarks Offices of the European Offices.
For figurative marks Vienna classification (7th edition) is applied. The mark is classified in Vienna classification by the Office as a part of formal processing of the application.
Matters concerning processing of different types of non-traditional marks (e.g., three-dimensional, motion, hologram, color mark, etc.)
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Trademarks registers search:
http://www.dziv.hr/hr/e-usluge/pretrazivanje-baza-podataka/zig/ (HR)
http://www.dziv.hr/en/e-services/on-line-database-search/trademarks/ (EN),
Official Gazette :
http://www.dziv.hr/en/the-croatian-intellectual-property-gazette/
Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online, URL), etc.
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A wide set of software tools has been developed in-house to support business procedures of the Office, providing a range of tools for efficient processing of the applications and other documents. Office's software system is in the process of migration to a new (open-source platform).
The newly developed Office proprietary web application assists applicants to generate in the proper format a list of goods and services from the TMclass pre-defined classification terms database, and helps examiners to check the regularity of the list of goods and services submitted by applicants:http://www.dziv.hr/hr/intelektualno-vlasnistvo/zigovi/medjunarodna-klasifikacija-proizvoda-i-usluga/.
The Office proprietary web application for substantial examination of the international trademark registrations (designations HR) using data from MECA (Madrid Electronic Communications System) and enables rendering XML and PDF files that are uploaded to the WIPO ftp site through the MECA input system. Also, the same system enables rendering and uploading Grant of Protection data in XML format.
Electronic Trademark register and other related software tools support the processing of the applications throughout the granting procedures.
Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
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The Office’s Library:
http://www.dziv.hr/hr/informacije-usluge/knjiznica (HR)
http://www.dziv.hr/en/sipo-information-services/library/(EN)
The Office’s Library operates within the Office’s information centre (acronym INCENTIV). Library public services include access to the collections and in the reading room, available to public during the working hours of INCENTIV. Browsing of Library collections isavailable at the premises and on-line at Office’s web page (http://knjiznica.dziv.hr/). User inquiries and reservation requests could also be made via e-mail knjiznica@dziv.hr. The collections contain numerous books and periodicals, primarily in the field of IP or related fields, and are catalogued in the database which is regularly maintained.
Publications related to different business procedures and trademark information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
The Office’s Library:
http://www.dziv.hr/hr/informacije-usluge/knjiznica/ (HR)
http://www.dziv.hr/en/sipo-information-services/library/ (EN)
Trademark Examination Guidelines:
http://www.dziv.hr/prirucnici/hr_guidelines/hr/hrmrk.htm (HR)
http://www.dziv.hr/files/File/eng/Pat_pub/Trademark/guidelines-mrk-en.pdf (EN)
Trademark leaflets:
http://www.dziv.hr/files/File/obrasci/zig/brosura_zig.pdf (basic information on trademarks in Croatian language)
http://www.dziv.hr/files/File/eng/Pat_pub/Trademark/Letak_zig_EN.pdf (trademark search services)
Cooperation with universities, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
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Some of the lectures and related events organized in 2013:
„Retrieval and use of IP information“,
Faculty of Chemical Engineering andTechnology, University of Zagreb, February, 2013;
„Intellectual Property and inovations in the light of state aid“,
In cooperation with Ministry of entrepreneurship and crafts, Zagreb, February, 2013;
„Basics of Intellectual Property for entrepreneurs and scientists“,
Tera Tehnopolis (technology center), Osijek, April 2013;
„Trademark and Industrial Design“,
Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb, May, 2013;
„Searching of IP databases“,
Vern Polytechnics, Zagreb, June, 2013;
Study visit of the students of Law Faculty in Rijeka to the Office, Zagreb, December 2013.
Workshops organized in 2013:
„Value of Intellectual Property, for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises“, June 2013
„Training of Trainers„ for Consumers Society, Zagreb, June 2013
„Intellectual Property Rights“,Workshop for Judicial Academy, Zagreb, October 2013.
Promotional events organized in 2013:
“Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy”, public awareness campaign, Rovinj, July 2013;
“SASO 2013 - International trade fair”, information boot, Split, December 2013.
VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION
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The Office participates in Convergence programs, Cooperation Fund projects and Liaison meetings with other national trademark offices of the European Union member states and the Office for the Harmonization in the Internal Market of the European Union (OHIM).
Common Tools:
TMview: integration of the Office trademark data into common search tool for trademarks of
participating trade mark offices, at national, international and EU level.
TMclass: supplying data to the common tool among other participating Offices for the
classification of goods and services into the correct classes.
Convergence programs of the national trademark offices of the EU member states and the OHIM:
Harmonization of Classsification
Class Scopes
Absolute Grounds – Figurative Marks
Relative Grounds – Likelihood of Confusion
Scope of Protection– Black&White Marks.
VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS