Annual Technical Report 2006 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Australia (SCIT/ATR/PI/2006/AU)
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 term "patent" covers utility models and Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs). Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in their Annual Technical Reports on Industrial Design Information Activities.
I. Evolution of patent activities
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For 2005
Patent applications filed 14272
Patents granted = 11166
PCT designations = N/A (note all states were automatically designated for PCT filings from 01/01/2004).
For 2006
Patent applications filed 14011
Patents granted = 12543
PCT designations = N/A (note all states were automatically designated for PCT filings from 01/01/2004).
Note: The above figures include Standard, Innovation & Provisional patents filed and granted.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
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IP Australia has on-line filing facilities for patent applications which allows all new standard patent applications as well as innovation patent applications to be filed on-line. These on-line filings interface directly to IP Australia's electronic case file management system which allows these applications to be processed electronically. This system is referred to as 'PAMS'(Patent Administrative and Management System). Patsearch provides access to the bibliographic data held in PAMS.
IP Australia is currently finalising the design of a system to support business-to-business data exchange of patents, industrial designs and trade marks transactions with its high volume clients (Patents and Trade Mark Attorneys). This system will be consistent with WIPO electronic filing and National e-commerce standards.
External databases
IP Australia uses commercial databases on patents and technical literature through, for example, Questel-Orbit, STN and DIALOG, as well as general databases available over the Internet.
We are also investigating use of the EPOQUE system, which is currently being tested by a small group of examiners.
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All journals and official notices & online services
https://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/ecentre/content/olsHome.jsp
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information
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From 24 – 29 April 2006, IP Australia delivered a patent examiner training course in Islamabad to patent examiners of the IP office of Pakistan. The project activities also included undertaking quality exercises and assessment of future training needs. This project was coordinated by WIPO.
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
From 26 - 30 June 2006, IP Australia’s officials visited the National Office of Industrial Property (NOIP) in Viet Nam under the auspice of the APEC TILF Public Education and Awareness program. This project provided resources and training to assist Viet Nam to undertake their own public education and awareness programs.
The Registrar and the Copyright Officer from the PNG IP Office visited IP Australia from 17 - 19 July 2006. Discussions focused on the development of public education and awareness programs, the development of supporting resources and to undertake training to support the management of web sites.
From 28 August – 1 September, a senior MyIPO delegation visited IP Australia to learn from Australia’s experience in acceding to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
On 6 – 7 September, a group of MyIPO officials visited IP Australia to understand implementation of the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure.
IP Australia, in conjunction with the IP Office of Singapore and the Hong Kong IP Department, delivered an APEC IPR Public Education and Awareness Platform project in 2006. The project equipped developing APEC Member Economies with the skills, tools and resources to implement public education and awareness campaigns which promote the protection and enforcement of IPR in the region. The principal activities of the project were:
• A workshop on Effective Strategies for IPR Public Education to share experiences and knowledge on IPR campaigns with developing economies – November 2006 in Hong Kong, China.
• An online communications platform of IPR public education and awareness resources, which can be tailored to meet the needs of developing economies –delivered just prior to the workshop in November 2006
IP Australia hosted a workshop on the Development of a Regional Approach to the Management of Intellectual Property, Suva, Fiji, 6 – 10 March 2006 for Pacific Island Countries.
Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)
Education Products
Smart Start, IP Australia’s small business education product was updated, with a new web site and email newsletter launched to make information widely available. Smart Start continued to be IP Australia’s most popular public information product, and was selected as a case study for the European Commission’s Benchmarking IP Support Services for SMEs project. The development of an online version of IP Australia’s commercialisation education product, IP Toolbox, was launched in late 2006.
Home-Based Business Seminars Initiative
IP Australia supported the Home-Based Business seminar initiative of the Office of Small Business by hosting presentations on intellectual property issues for small business. The seminars were delivered in more than 70 locations across regional Australia enabling home-based businesses to learn how intellectual property affects them.
World IP Day 2006
A public relations campaign was undertaken for World IP Day, which is celebrated each year on April 26, to increase public awareness of intellectual property and its role in supporting Australian innovation. In support of this campaign, a series of events were held in capital cities in cooperation with the Australian Innovation Festival, which was officially aligned with World IP Day for the first time. The campaign was highly successful and resulted in broad media coverage and strong participation rates for World IP Day events.
New IP Media Centre web site and Journalists’ Guide
IP Australia launched a new Journalists’ Guide to Intellectual Property supported by a new IP Media centre web site to promote better understanding and reporting of intellectual property issues in the media. There was a noticeable increase in the number of media enquiries received by IP Australia since the launch of the Journalists’ Guide and IP Media Centre.
Plant Breeder’s Rights web site
A new web site on plant breeder’s rights was launched by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources. The web site is hosted by the Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture and is aimed at improving the understanding of all aspects of the Australian PBR systems, and includes comprehensive information on case law, commercialisation, enforcement and the relationship of PBR to other intellectual property rights.
Main patent and industrial property information magazines/journals published in the country or region of the Office
All journals and official notices & online services
https://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/ecentre/content/olsHome.jsp
IX. Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
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Legislation links
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/legislation_index.shtml
contain the Annual Report of the Office
annual reports and publications
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/forms_general.shtml
contain patent-related news regarding the Office
News
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/news_index.shtml
X. Other relevant matters
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| 1. | Classification is allotting one or more classification symbols (e.g., IPC symbols) to a patent application, either before or during search and examination, which symbols are then published with the patent application.
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| 2. | Preclassification is allotting an initial broad classification symbol (e.g., IPC class or subclass, or administrative unit) to a patent application, using human or automated means for internal administrative purposes (e.g., routing an application to the appropriate examiner). Usually preclassification is applied by the administration of an office.
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| 3. | Reclassification is the reconsideration and usually the replacement of one or more previously allotted classification symbols to a patent document, following a revision and the entry into force of a new version of the Classification system (e.g., the IPC). The new symbols are available on patent databases.
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