Annual Technical Report on Trademark Information Activities in 2015 submitted by Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia

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I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TRADEMARK INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of trademark information activities and expected time frames for their realization

New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks

Main areas of trademark information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year

Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes

 

In calendar year 2015, Intellectual Property Office of Serbia received 2153 national applications. Compared to 2014 (2034), national applications fillings increased 5.85 percent. 1386 national applications were registered, 323 less than in 2014, and 183 were refused, 9 less than in 2014.

At the same time the number of trademark applications filed under the Madrid Agreement and Madrid Protocol decreased for 487 applications. We had 5104 international applications in 2014 and in 2015 total number of international trademark applications is 4617. On the other hand, the International trademark department issued 3810 Grant of protection statements in 2015, against 4411 in 2014.

 

Trademark applications:

Year     MadridSystem               National      Total
2009               5422                       2084          6263
2010               4927                       2161          7088
2011               4968                       1987          6955

2012               4986                       1898          6884

2013               5014                       2203          7307

2014               4239                       2034          6273

2015              4617                        2153          6770

 

Registered Trademarks:

Year      Madrid System               National      Total
2009               5885                       3371          9256
2010               5258                       1872          7130
2011               4823                       1405          6228

2012               5257                       1795          7052

2013               3743                       1466          5209 

2014               4157                       1709          5866     

2015               4041                       1386          5427

Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.

 

http://www.zis.gov.rs/about-us/annual-report.106.html

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) - URLs

 

All relevant data considering the trademark protection in Republic of Serbia are on our web site on www.zis.gov.rs. That includes 1) frequently asked questions about trademarks, 2) TM legislation, 3) guidelines and forms, 4) fees; 5) statistics; 6) reports.

National trademark database is on our web site as well.

Third parties can make trademark research in our Office through the intranet.

Availability of the application dossier in electronic form

 

Application dossiers are available by the official website of the IP Office. Electronic trademark register contains bibliographic data on applications and registered trade marks and representations of trade marks, as well as the data on changes relating to applications and registered marks (assignments, licenses, pledges), for which the procedure was carried out at the request of the applicants.

For the changes applied after 1 January 2008, data are available electronically. For the changes, which are initiated before 1 January 2008, data are available in the written TM registers at the premises of the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia in Belgrade.

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 is used for the similarity examination search, for commercial search and for statistics. The translation of the list of goods and services is available on the official web site http://www.zis.gov.rs/upload/documents/pdf_sr/pdf_zigovi/Nic_klas_na_sajtu_zavoda10-2016NovoMaj2016.pdf

We have been using Vienna Classification in trademark examination procedure for years, but from the beginning of 2010, Trademark Department started to apply Vienna Classification through the IPAS system.

Matters concerning processing of different types of non-traditional marks (e.g., three-dimensional, motion, hologram, color mark, etc.)

 

IPO of the Republic of Serbia allows registration of trademark for the three-dimensional, color and sound (musical) signs.

Other activities

III. SOURCES OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

Main types of publications in the field of trademark information, outline of the content and medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URLs)

 

The main type of the publication in the field of trademark information is an official gazette: Intellectual Property Journal. The following information and bibliographical data concerning registered domestic and international trademarks are published in the Intellectual Property Journal: registration number, registration date, expected expiration date of registration, application number, date of filing of the application, date concerning exhibitions, data relating to priority under the Paris Convention, list of goods and services according the Nice Classification of Goods and service, disclaimer, reproduction of the mark, information concerning the colors claimed, indication relating to the nature or kind of mark, name and address of the holder of the registration, name and address of the representative. Trademarks are published in grayscale and color technique.

Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online, URL), etc.

 

The Intellectual Property Office of Serbia, on the basis of Trademark Law, publishes its official gazette: Intellectual Property Journal. The Intellectual Property Journal is published bimonthly, 6 times a year. The Intellectual Property Journal, in the part referring to trademarks, is prepared by means of computer, using the IPAS system. From the beginning of the 2010 gazettes can be found on our official web site http://www.zis.gov.rs/информационе-услуге.48.html

Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external documentation and databases

 

Electronic trademark register contains bibliographic data on applications and registered trade marks and representations of trade marks, as well as the data on changes relating to applications and registered marks (assignments, licenses, pledges. Examiners use also IPAS, internal database which contains more information available through workflow.

Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) and services available to external users; conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)

 

Electronic register, and also Alphabetical list of goods and services of the Nice Classification are available to the external users via the official website of the IPO, free of charge.

 

 Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)

 

Legal status information are available through the Electronic Register of Trademarks, and also in paper version for the applications submitted before January 1st 2014.

IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements

 

 IPAS (Industrial Property Administration System) - acquired from WIPO

Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office

 

Intranet network of Windows OS working stations, Windows (2003 R2 STD, 2010 R2 STD) based servers (Fujitsu servers, RAID controlled disks, three tiered architecture with Oracle as database server and JAVA application server

Internet access is achieved through direct optical connection to the provider at 20Mbit/sec, 2xCisco ASA 5510 in active/standby firewall configuration.

IPAS server - FujitsuSiemens Primergy TX200 server, 4GB RAM memory, 5x146GB hard disks in RAID 5 configuration, 2 NICs. MS Windows 2003 R2 Server Standard Edition, application software is IPAS (proprietary), database is Oracle.

 

Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources

 

Oracle database, IPAS case management system

Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file

 

MySQL database that is regularly updated, periodically, by transferring/converting appropriate dataset from internal Oracle database. Available for external use via hyperlink on IPO web site.

Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)

Other matters

 

General information related to trademarks are posted to IPO web site by employees of Trademark Department by means of CMS software.

 

V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION

Office's library (if deals with trademark information): equipment, collection management, network of libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign libraries

 

Office library is a member of the COBISS system which represents an organizational model of joining libraries into a national information system with shared cataloguing, the COBIB union bibliographic/catalogue database and local bibliographic databases of participating libraries, the COLIB database on libraries, the CONOR authority database, and with a number of other functions. Functioning of the system is preconditioned by the following professional outlines and technological assumptions:

-standardized and shared cataloguing of library materials as well as a uniform management of catalogues and bibliographies,

-adequately skilled cataloguers,

-linking of libraries via computer and communications network.

Each national library information system built on the COBISS platform is co-created by the national COBISS center and the libraries as members of the system.

COBISS (Co-operative Online Bibliographic Systems and Services) is a model of a system representing the platform for the national library information systems in Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Albania. All these systems are interconnected into the COBISS.Net regional network.

Publications related to different business procedures and trademark information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.

 

Various publications related to trademarks such as studies, brochures, newsletters and leaflets are available in paper form or in electronic form on the IPO website http://www.zis.gov.rs/publications.446.html

Education and Information Center (EIC) of the IPO is publishing a EIC Newsletter with information about topical subjects in the field of intellectual property. The EIC Newsletter is intended for all organizations and individuals involved in intellectual property or seeking knowledge in this field. The EIC Newsletter offers informative and educative thematic articles and other important information in the field of intellectual property. The Newsletter is available via official website of the EIC http://www.zis.gov.rs/sources-of-information/newsletter.302.html

Cooperation with universities, technology and innovation support centers, etc.

 

The Education and information Centre (EIC) of the IPO provides support in the form of a service of disseminating information and education realized through consultations and conducting training, seminars and workshops aimed at identification, protection, management and exploitation of the results of research as intellectual property created in institutions involved in research. In a broader context this helps to promote innovation - transformation of ideas into products, processes and technologies benefiting society as a whole.

Stimulating universities and other public research institutions to be more active in protecting and exploiting, the EIC held 18 seminars for professors, researches and students attended by 686 participants.

Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.

 

EIC has developed a range of different type of seminars for different stakeholder groups. Lectures can be tailor made. Also, the IPO is equipped with the modern public library, and the premises for seminars and educational purpose.

http://www.zis.gov.rs/.121.html

In the framework of activities of education in 2015, over 60 various educative seminars and informative events were organized where 1549 interested persons participated. Training courses were held beside for above mentioned universities and R&D institutions, and for SME support organization and SMEs, for general public etc.

Service for improvement SMEs in IP protection and management – Intellectual property prediagnosis was provided for 45 SMEs.

 

The IPO traditionally took part at several business fairs and fairs for support to the inventions and creativity in 2015. IPO had a stand at the following fairs:

- Science is not a bogeyman, Nis, April 2015

- International Agricultural fair in Novi Sad, May 2015

- INOCOOP Fair of entrepreneurship in Zrenjanin - August 2015

- TESLA FEST in Novi Sad -the biggest inventor's exhibition in Serbia, October 2015

- Trade fair in Nova Pazova, October 2015

- Trade fair in Paracin, October 2015

- Book fair, Belgrade, October 2015

Other activities

 

On the occasion of the 95 years of the protection of intellectual property in the Republic of Serbia 16th November 2016, series of manifestations, activities, campaigns, seminars and promotions were held in the period between September 2015 to February 2016, with the aim to point at the significance and importance that the creation and protection of intellectual property has for the national economic and cultural development.

 

I Promotion of national study of the contribution of the creative industries to economy of Serbia – WIPO project, co-organizers: the Faculty of Law of the Belgrade University and the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia.

II Organization of the conference in the framework of the Tesla Fest with the support of WIPO and the awarding of the WIPO medal for the best inventor;

III The commercialization of the results of the R&D, the WIPO seminar, is organized by the University of Belgrade and the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia.

IV Organization of the conference: ”Role of the intellectual property in the positioning of the economy of the countries of the west Balkans at the global market” – EPO project, co-organizers: The Faculty of Law of the Belgrade University and the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia;

V The opening of the national exhibition: “Industrial property in the Republic of Serbia” in the Gallery of the Museum of Science and Technology SANU and the international exhibition “EPO Hall of Fame” in the Museum of the History of Serbia;

VI The seminar of the European Patent Organization for judges in the field of intellectual property, co-organizers: the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Justice.

 

VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION

International exchange of trademark information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazettes)

Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to trademark information

 

The officials of the IPO in 2015 had attended Liaison Meetings on Trademarks.

 Assistance to developing countries

Other activities

VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS