Annual Technical Report on Patent Information Activities in 2014 submitted by Rospatent

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

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

The main trends in the development of activities in the field of patent information are defined by the Comprehensive Plan for Development of the Rospatent System up to 2020, and the Rospatent Departmental Plan for 2014.

Development of information technology (hereinafter referred to as ‘IT’) is being carried out in three main areas, in which most of the measures for the development of information technology up to 2020 are being undertaken:

- electronic record keeping;

- electronic interaction;

- development of decision-support systems;

The Development Strategy of the Rospatent System up to 2015 has been published on the Rospatent website at the following address: http://www.rupto.ru/about/strategy/strategy_2015

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

In order to enable electronic record-keeping during the provision of State services, the following work was undertaken at the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (hereinafter referred to as FIPS) in 2014:

• ­A system of paperless prosecution during the examination of applications for registration of agreements in respect of industrial property (Agreements) has been put into operation;
• ­A system of paperless prosecution for examining applications to enter changes into the registers of inventions, utility models, and industrial designs (including to extend and renew a patent) (Patent Prosecution) has been put into operation.
• ­Automated systems for managing the State Register of Inventions of the Russian Federation, and State Register of Utility Models of the Russian Federation on electronic carriers has been put into operation;
• ­Work continued to redirect flows of paper documents for processing at the Data Preparation Center (TSPD), and in particular, the ability to highlight and recognize fragments of incoming correspondence relating to applications for inventions and utility models for the purpose of subsequent use during examinations.  The ability to manage languages recognized in the application processing flow has been introduced, as has a mechanism for updating software automatically at all TSPD users’ workplaces. TSPD administrators now have the option to design templates of screen-based forms using ‘drag and drop’.
• ­Work continued on improving the functions of the electronic system for prosecuting applications for inventions and utility models (AS EA).  The opportunity was provided to work with a new component of electronic applications, ‘Abstract in English’, and specifically, a work station was created to download abstracts in Russian for translation, and batch uploading of abstract translations onto the system with a view to subsequent downloading for publication. The ability has been provided to download data missing from the electronic State register (EGR) for publication- of IPC indexes, descriptions, drawings, etc., and additional classification possibilities have been provided under CPC indexes for departments of industry experts.
• ­In 2014, users of the Electronic Interaction with Applicants section of the FIPS website were given the opportunity to file utility model applications electronically. The service for electronic filing of utility model applications has been integrated with  the electronic prosecution system for examining inventions and utility models.

In 2014, operation continued of the Integrated Automated System for the Accounting of Fees (Fees), introducing the use of electronic payment documents received from the Russian Treasury, and the possibility of recording fees for legally significant acts in relation to applications for trademarks and appellations of origin.

In 2014, operation continued of the automated paperless prosecution system of the Chamber of Patent Disputes (PPS). The system in operation provides paperless prosecution when considering objections and claims filed at the Chamber of Patent Disputes. Details on the PPS decisions are posted on the FIPS website in the Decisions of the Chamber of Patent Disputes section.

In 2014, electronic versions of the State Register of Inventions of the Russian Federation, and  the State Register of Utility Models of the Russian Federation were put into operation.

In 2014, operation continued of the PCT Electronic Applications Library automated system.

In 2014, operation continued of the system of filing and receipt of electronic invention applications. The electronic invention application filing service has been integrated with the system of electronic prosecution of examination of inventions and utility models.

With a view to the full functioning of the Patent-Information System, PatSearch, work was undertaken with patent offices whose patent documentation uploading technology is specific to those offices.  Particular attention is focused on providing high quality work from the system.  A key task is ensuring that the arrays uploaded to the patent documentation system (of Russia and other PCT minimum countries) are complete.

In 2014, agreements were prepared and signed with the Japanese patent office (JPO). As a result of this work, a document was signed on ‘Principles of the Use of Intellectual Property Information to be Exchanged Electronically between FIPS and JPO, which governs the open approach of the two offices to the exchange of data without physical media, and provides for the possibility of supplying the data obtained both to third parties (including for commercial purposes), and to intellectual property offices of third countries on a reciprocal basis.

In order to ensure the completeness of foreign documentation submitted and newly uploaded onto the PatSearch system, incoming documentation is constantly monitored. As gaps are detected in the arrays of documentation, a request is sent promptly to the relevant foreign patent office; receipt of data is constantly being monitored.

During 2014, work was carried out on populating data; after formal verification of fitness for purpose, completeness, and compliance with specifications on the website, some errors were identified. After verifying downloaded data during 2014, errors were detected in the arrays of Australia, Germany, China, and WIPO- overall, in 82 files. Information on defective data in specific documents from Australia, China and WIPO was likewise processed (1,640 documents). All errors were corrected by re-downloading the data. As part of the previously signed agreements with foreign offices on data exchange and other written agreements, work is ongoing to ensure the quality and completeness of the upload onto the system. 

In 2014, the Rospatent and FIPS websites provided access to a wide range of databases, including official publications.

Since January, 2014, all Official Gazettes have been posted on the FIPS website in a new section, Official Publications, the Rospatent website was updated by adding this section, and a link was added to the FIPS website.

All Rospatent Official Gazettes for 2014 have been posted on the FIPS website in the Official Publications section and are freely available.

As of 2014, the release of FIPS publications on paper with information in the corresponding Official Gazettes was terminated. These were replaced by the Gazettes which have been issued since 2005 on CD/DVD disks and are well known to subscribers.

The content and structure of the website, representing Rospatent’s activity within its terms of reference (www.rupto.ru) reflect the most important issues in relation to the functioning of the system of intellectual property protection in Russia. Regulations and press releases are regularly posted on events relating to Rospatent activity and events in the system of intellectual property protection. A new section, Foreign Patenting, was opened on the Rospatent website, containing reference information on the systems for granting legal protection abroad. In accordance with the principles of openness, the following sections were updated: Contacts, Contacting Rospatent, Federal State Information Systems, and State Services. A new form of service for Rospatent website visitors is presented in the Open Data section, where seven sets of data have been posted in a format that ensures automated processing thereof for the purposes of re-use thereof without prior amendment by a person (machine-readable format), and on the terms of its open (free) use.

Along with the Rospatent website, the FIPS website (www.fips.ru) likewise developed rapidly in 2014, focusing on comprehensive support for users at various stages of legal protection and intellectual property protection.

In 2014, a new section structure, Electronic Interaction with Applicants, was created on the FIPS website, with the aim of making user access to the electronic services easier.

In order to promote knowledge of intellectual property and to help novice participants in the intellectual property system, a special section was opened on the FIPS website, For Beginners, providing details on protecting intellectual property, conducting patent searches, access to education in the field of intellectual property, etc. This section also includes a Glossary, with interpretations of terminology used in intellectual property. In the Patent Information Products section, materials have been posted to assist users in the effective use of information products offered for searching and analyzing patent information. As a result of the development of a range of electronic publications used in automated search, since 2014 FIPS has stopped issuing hard-copy publications on industrial property.

In 2014, a mini-website was created on the FIPS website, Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC), the content and structure of which reflects Rospatent’s systematic work in supporting organizations and enterprises engaged in innovative activity throughout the regions of Russia.

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

At present, applicants and representatives thereof may interact with FIPS electronically using services provided on the FIPS website (www.fips.ru) and on the State Services Portal. (www.gosuslugi.ru).

The FIPS website enables electronic filing of applications for inventions and utility models, as well as electronic correspondence through the ‘Personal Office’ service for applications for inventions and utility models filed previously. 

Over 1,000 invention and utility-model applications were filed electronically in 2014 (c.2 per cent of the total number). In addition, in the Personal Office section on the FIPS website, 4,300 prosecution cases were opened for electronic correspondence.

In order to achieve the target of 25 per cent of applications filed electronically by 2015,  measures were taken in 2014 to encourage applicants to use electronic filing through the development of service functionality, posting new versions on the FIPS website of user documentation for setting up work stations and exploiting the functionality of the electronic services, connecting Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) to the electronic filing services, enabling integration of other organizations’ information systems with the FIPS electronic filing systems, and holding thematic meetings and seminars.

Descriptions of State services offered by Rospatent can be found on the Unified State and Municipal Services (Functions) Portal (hereinafter, ‘PGU’). All services offer the required forms for applications, and information on how to access services. Likewise, interactive forms for filing applications for all services may be found on PGU.

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

Inventions

Data relating to the filing of applications and the grant of Russian Federation invention patents for 2013-2014 are presented in Table 1.

Table 1

From Table 1, it can be seen that 2014 saw a fall in the number of applications filed (by 10.26%), whereas in contrast, invention patents granted rose (by 7.31%).

The invention patents granted in 2014 were distributed according to the IPC sections as follows:

Table 2

The largest number of patents for inventions granted in 2014 was, as in 2013, to Russian applicants for Section A of the International Patent Classification (IPC) – Human Necessities. With regard to foreign applicants, the largest number of patents for inventions granted in 2014 was for Section B- Performing Operations and Transporting. The same section was the most popular among this group of applicants in 2013 as well.

The least popular Section among Russian and foreign applicants alike remains Section D – Textiles and Paper.  The number of patents granted for this Section in 2014 comprised only 0.9 per cent of the overall number of patents granted for inventions.

Utility models

Тable 3

In 2014, the number of applications received for utility models fell somewhat. The number of applications received decreased by 2.83 per cent, and this decline occurred due to applications filed by Russian applicants (fell by 4.33 per cent). Foreign applicants, in contrast, saw noticeable growth of 23.8%. However, the proportion of the overall number of applications filed by this group of applicants is insignificant, at less than 7 per cent. The total number of patents granted increased, by 3.37 per cent.

Data on the distribution of patents for utility models by IPC Section are presented below.

Table 4

The leading IPC Section in 2014 remained Section B – Performing Operations and Transporting – while second place was taken by Section F – Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating; Weapons; Blasting. As in 2013, Section D – Textiles and Paper – continued to be the least in demand, with the lowest number of patents granted.

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

The following pages of the Office’s websites contain:

• Information on patent legislation- Regulation section: http://www.rupto.ru/docs;

• Office Annual Report- Rospatent Annual Reports section: http://www.rupto.ru/about/reports;

• Statistical information- Statistical Data section:http://www.rupto.ru/about/stat;

• Monitoring of the quantitative and qualitative indicators for the main activities of FIPS in 2014 is provided on the FIPS website in the FIPS Main Activities section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/about/osn_deyat;

• Links section: http://www.rupto.ru/links;

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/link_resources;

• Rospatent News: http://www.rupto.ru/press/news;
• FIPS News: http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/news/.

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT 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

One of the most important tasks of a patent office, including Rospatent, is to provide an environment conducive with filing patent applications for industrial property subject matter, thereby promoting inventive activity in the country.

The main measures aimed at addressing this issue include:

• posting instructional materials necessary for preparing and filing applications for all types of industrial property on the Rospatent website;
• providing advice on matters relating to the registration and filing of applications;
• providing opportunities for all categories of users to work with the GPF and other patent information products available in the Library free-of-charge;
• holding thematic meetings on topical IP issues (including Rospatent systems for receipt of applications for industrial property, including how to submit applications electronically);
• conducting internships and training for work with patent documentation, etc.

Users of the FIPS website have access to user and technical documentation on setting up and operating an electronic application filing service for the grant of patents for inventions and utility models, and corresponding electronically using the ‘Personal Office’ service: http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/el_zayav/

Answers to frequently asked questions are posted on a section of the FIPS website.

Service users may contact the Technical Support Service during working hours at helpdesk@rupto.ru to obtain professional help from technical specialists.

The web page addresses of Office websites providing information on filing applications are as follows:

• Administrative regulations for the performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of State functions in relation to organizing receipt of invention applications, and review and examination thereof, and grant in the established manner of Russian Federation invention patents:  

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/documents/russian_laws/order_minobr/administrative_regulations/test_8

• Administrative regulations for the provision by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of State functions in relation to organizing receipt of utility-model applications, and review and examination thereof, and grant in the established manner of Russian Federation utility-model patents:  

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/documents/russian_laws/order_minobr/administrative_regulations/adm_regl_5;

• Announcement regarding the transition to electronic interagency interaction in the provision by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property of State services:

http://www.rupto.ru/press/news_archive/inform2011/smev_inf;

• Guidelines on issues concerning examination of applications for inventions and utility models:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inventions_utility_models/rec_inv;

• Specimen Applications and Requests, and Completed Examples section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/file_library/obr_zaya/;

•  Electronic Interaction with Applicants section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/el_zayav/;

• Fees section: http://www.rupto.ru/activities/dues/;
• Patent and other fees subsection: http://www.rupto.ru/activities/dues/patduty/pat_poshl;
• Patent Law subject matter section: http://www.rupto.ru/activities/objects;
• For Beginners section: http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/about/new
• Frequently Asked Questions section: http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/about/right_vopr.

Details of seminars and other similar events held in 2014 can be found in Part 5(e).

Availability of the application dossier in electronic form

Access is provided on the Rospatent and FIPS websites to the following resources:

-   a database of invention applications filed between 2007 and 2014, containing information on the prosecution of 450,000 applications, and updated daily).

-   a database of applications for industrial designs filed between 2007 and 2014, containing information on the prosecution of 101,000 applications, and updated daily).

As part of the automated paperless prosecution information system for examining inventions, access is provided to primary materials for applications for inventions and utility models, versions of the application components (invention claims, descriptions), bibliographic data and versions of documents sent to applicants, images of incoming correspondence, and outgoing correspondence, signed electronically.

Classification¹, preclassification² (if applicable), reclassification³ activities; classification systems used (e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC)); matters concerning indexing of patent information

With regard to improvement of International Patent Classification (IPC), in 2014 Rospatent prepared a new, complete version of IPC 2015.01, and published it electronically in Russian for in-house use, and produced an online publication for external users of patent information. For that purpose, Rospatent specialists processed a total of 869 corrections to the previous edition of IPC:

- New headings incorporated: 345                             

- Old headings deleted: 39

- Headings amended, with subsequent reclassification of documents contained therein: 70

- Headings amended, without subsequent reclassification of documents contained therein: 414

In accordance with the newly created IPC classification scheme definitions, informative links have been removed from these schemes.

In 2014, as part of the work conducted by WIPO to improve IPC, Rospatent prepared comments and proposals on the following projects: M748 (Section C), F015 (sub-class A23L), F021 (sub-class B60J), F022 (sub-class F16J), F028 (sub-class G07D7/00), C466 (sub-class A61B), and F026 (sub-class A23K).

In 2014, FIPS examiners used indexing codes for classifying additional information on national patent documents.

In 2014, the preliminary assignment of an IPC classification to applications for inventions and utility models received by FIPS was continued, in order to send them to the appropriate examination division for substantive examination of applications for inventions and the examination of utility models.

In 2014, 41,572 applications for inventions and 13,728 applications for utility models were assigned a preliminary classification index before being forwarded to the appropriate examination divisions.

International applications received by the International Patent Cooperation Division of Rospatent in its role as an International Searching Authority and an International Preliminary Examining Authority are assigned a preliminary IPC index classification, which determines the appropriate examination division for each application.  In 2014, 2,794 international applications were assigned a preliminary classification index before being forwarded to the appropriate examination divisions for the purposes of conducting an international search

Abstracting, reviewing, and translation of the information contained in patent documents

In 2014, abstracts continued to be published in Russian and English for RF patents granted for inventions as part of the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette. The Gazette is posted on the FIPS website. In addition, abstracts in Russian are published as part of the publication Descriptions of Inventions for RF Patents on paper (identical to publications in the Gazette posted on the website).

With the aim of providing examiners and other categories of users with comfortable conditions when working with foreign patent documentation, immediate translation assistance is provided for patent documentation, both from Russian into other languages and from other languages into Russian, in both written and oral form.

In addition, all categories of GPF users are provided with the automated translator, PROMT, the quality of translations of which are heavily dependent upon the specialized, thematic dictionaries uploaded onto it.

In connection with carrying out significant work to translate foreign documents on all issues related to intellectual property, the All-Russian Patent and Technical Library Division (hereinafter, ‘VPTB’) works actively to supplement thematic dictionaries on the latest subjects. Approximately 55,900 dictionary entries have been prepared that are used by those working in the VPTB display room.

VPTB performs translation from foreign languages and prepares summaries of foreign legal and patent literature.  In 2014, the titles of articles, books and prepared summaries of 3,208 publications of interest to specialists in legal protection of intellectual property were translated into Russian.  The amount of legislation from foreign countries translated in 2014 was approximately 1,379 pages (United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, India, Canada, and United States of America).

The results of this work are entered into an electronic catalog of legal and patent literature, ‘Legal Protection of Intellectual Property: National and Foreign Publications. The electronic version of the catalog, containing details of publications dating from 1992 to the present day, is available on the FIPS website in the VPTB Division section, and is accessible to remote users online. This catalog comprised 89,000 documents as of January 1, 2015.

Other activities

III. SOURCES OF PATENT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

Main types of publications of the Office (patent applications, full text, first pages, abstracts, bibliographic data, granted patents, etc.), medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URLs)

Table 5 contains data on the main types of Office publications in the field of patent information, carriers and also the frequency of publications.

Тable 5

Since January 2014, the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette has been posted on the website of the Federal State Budgetary Institution, the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (FIPS), which is subordinate to Rospatent, in the Official Publications section, and is freely available, constituting a functional and comprehensive information source. The ISSN number is 2313-7436. Gazette documents are in PDF format.

The web page addresses of the Office’s websites providing information concerning Office publications are as follows:

• The Administrative Regulations for performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of State functions relating to the keeping of registers of registered intellectual property subject matter, publication of information on registered intellectual property subject matter, applications filed and patents and certificates granted therefor, on the validity, termination and renewal of validity of legal protection in relation to intellectual property subject matter, the transfer of rights in protectable subject matter, and the official registration of intellectual property subject matter: 

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/documents/russian_laws/order_minobr/administrative_regulations/adm_regl_ved_reestr/

• Regulations on the official publications of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, in the Patent Information Products section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/publishing_activities/publication_act_new;

• Official Publications section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/ofic_pub/;

• Catalog of Publications and Databases in the Patent Information Products section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/publishing_activities/.

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

The forms of notifications on inventions and utility models published in the Rospatent Official Gazette, Inventions and Utility Models, are presented in Table 6:

Table 6

The addresses of web pages of the Office’s site providing access to online publications:

• Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette:
  http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/ofic_pub/ofic_bul/iz_pm;

• In the Information Resources section, International Classifications subsection:
  http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/international_classification/;
• Open Registers of Russian Patent Documents:
  http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/.

From the above page, a user may refer to the following resources by means of the appropriate link:

Register of Inventions of the Russian Federation

Register of Utility Models of the Russian Federation

Register of Applications for the Grant of a Russian Federation Invention Patent

Register of Applications for the Grant of a Russian Federation Utility-Model Patent.

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

In 2014, examiners performed virtually all searches online. If the information contained in the PatSearch system is insufficient, examiners may consult patent-office databases that are freely available on the Internet (mainly Espacenet, PATENTSCOPE, EAPATIS, and the databases of USPTO and the patent office of Japan). In order to view correspondence relating to applications in the patent offices of Japan and Korea, examiners can access the AIPN and K-PION databases, respectively.  Furthermore, one FIPS workstation was connected to the EPO search system, EpoqueNet.

Where necessary, examiners perform searches in commercial databases.  These are mainly databases provided through the STN International platform.  These databases are generally consulted during searches on chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

Access to the STN database is provided to FIPS examiners in the online search and consultation room, where specially trained staff carry out searches jointly with examiners when necessary. Approximately 1,500 of these searches were carried out in the online search and consultation room in 2014; the bulk of these were performed in the REGISTRY, CA, CASREACT, and CHEMCATS databases.

In addition to carrying out searches jointly with examiners in the STN network, staff in the online search and consultation room offer consultations regarding online searches in other available databases. More than 300 of these consultations were provided during 2014.

In order to improve the examination information supply, staff in the online search and consultation room receive continuous training on the online databases that are useful for conducting information searches and prepare and update guidelines on their use for examiners. Staff in the online search and consultation room are also involved in training both new and experienced examiners on the skilled use of available search databases.

Office examiners have access to electronic resources of non-patent literature (FIZ electronic resource portals, the publisher, Elsevier, etc.) purchased commercially.

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

VPTB users have access to Rospatent’s automated information-search system, PatSearch, and the Eurasian Patent Office’s EAPATIS search systems, the European Patent Office’s Global Patent Index, etc. 

In 2014, patent information subscribers were presented with the Inventions and Utility Models Gazette, based on official Rospatent information, with full descriptions of inventions for RF patents on electronic CD/DVD carrier with search system. They are distributed with a frequency of 36 issues (disks) per year. 

For new subscribers, and also for the purposes of keeping patent collections up to date, the series of the Inventions and Utility Models Gazette with full descriptions of inventions for RF patents published in previous years (2011-2013) were offered on CD/DVD.

In addition, in the interests of users, the following information products were distributed:

• Annual retrospective sets of invention descriptions for USSR author’s certificates and RF patents, from 1924 to 2013, on DVD (a total of 110 disks);
• An information-search system for invention descriptions for RF patents in Russian and English, from 1994 to 2014, on DVD - quarterly and cumulative;
• Title pages of utility model descriptions for RF documents providing protection, from 1994 to 2015, on DVD - quarterly and cumulative;
• Descriptions of utility models for RF documents providing protection from 1994 to 2014 on DVD- quarterly and cumulative (11 disks);
• Patent invention descriptions on paper – 34,105 units;
• Title pages of utility model descriptions on paper - 13,137 units;
• Rospatent Annual Report for 2014 on CD (on paper for international exchange).

The selection of information products also included the new version of the official publication of the International Patent Classification, edition 2014.01 (IPC-2014.01) and alphabetical subject indexes on CD.

Most products on CD and DVD were distributed with MIMOSA software, allowing all forms of patent searches to be carried out.

On the basis of official information relating to inventions and utility models, thematic databases are produced for users on CD on special request.

In 2014, access to the electronic version of the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette was provided on the FIPS website, while the registers of Russian inventions and utility models continued to be updated, and details of the legal status thereof were provided.

Also on the Internet, users are granted free access to information on applications for the grant of Russian Federation invention and utility model patents. Information on the prosecution of applications is available for applications received after January 1, 2007.

In 2014, the Rospatent website provided access to:

• ­registers of Russian patent documents relating to inventions and utility models;
• registers containing information on published applications and the prosecution of applications filed in 2007-2014 for the grant of invention patents;
• registers containing information on the prosecution of applications filed in 2007-2014 for the grant of utility model patents;
• the Rospatent Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazettes published in the last month.

Rospatent Internet resources constitute the following databases:

-    a full-text database of Russian inventions (contains information on 545,000 invention patents from 1994 to 2014 inclusive, updated three times per month);

-    a retrospective database of Russian patent documents in facsimile form (contains information on 1,433,000 patent documents for inventions from 1924 to 1993 inclusive);

-    an abstracts database for Russian inventions (contains information on 561,000 patents for inventions from 1994 to 2014 inclusive, updated three times per month);

-    a database of published applications for inventions (contains information on 450,000 applications for inventions from 1994 to 2014 inclusive, updated three times per month);

-    an abstracts database for Russian inventions in English (contains information on 568,000 invention patents from 1994 to 2014 inclusive, updated three times per month);

-    a full-text database of Russian utility models (contains information on 149,000 Russian utility model certificates and patents from 1996 to 2014 inclusive, updated quarterly);

-    an abstracts database for Russian utility models (contains information on 149,000 Russian utility model certificates and patents from 1996 to 2014 inclusive, updated three times per month);

-    a future-oriented inventions database (contains information on 1,500 patents for inventions that are recognized by FIPS as promising, updated once per quarter);

-    a database of invention applications filed from 2007 to 2014 (contains information on the prosecution of 333,000 applications, updated daily);

-    a database of utility model applications filed from 2007 to 2013 (contains information on the prosecution of 101,000 applications, updated daily);

-    IPC database.

On the FGBU FIPS website, users are provided with access to:

-    an information-search system (ISS) on national patent documentation;

-    registers of Russian patent documents on all forms of industrial property;

-    registers containing information on the prosecution of applications filed from 2007 to 2014 for the grant of invention and utility model patents;

-    Rospatent Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazettes published in the last month.

Users’ work with the information-search system

Office examiners are given the possibility to work with all inventions and utility models databases. 

Access for external users to full-text inventions and utility models databases is granted on a contractual basis.

In 2014, as part of the cooperation agreements between Rospatent and relevant organizations, access was granted free of charge:

in relation to full-text inventions and utility models databases, to:

• ­    152 organizations, as part of the Rospatent Program of Cooperation with regions of the Russian Federation
• ­    36 organizations participating in the implementation of the State project to develop nanotechnologies
• ­    107 Technology and Innovation Support Centers
• ­    2 organizations of Rostekhnologiya

in relation to all FIPS databases, to:

• ­    99 organizations of the Federal Service of Court Bailiffs
• ­    131 organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
• ­    11 organizations of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service
• ­    16 organizations of the Ministry of Defense
• ­    94 organizations of the taxation service
• ­    44 users of the Court for Intellectual Property Rights
• ­    2 users of the Federal Agency for the Supply of Arms, Military and Special Equipment and Supplies, RosOboronPostavka
• ­    2 organizations of the Federal Customs Service

Users’ Work with Rospatent Official Gazettes

External users are provided free of charge with the following databases:

in relation to inventions:

• ­  abstracts databases in Russian and English,
• ­  a database of published invention applications,
• ­  a future-oriented inventions database,
• ­  a full-text database containing documents, published in the Inventions and Utility Models Gazette;
• ­  the IPC database

in relation to utility models:

• ­  a database containing documents published in the Inventions and Utility Models Gazette;
• ­  an abstracts database
• ­  the IPC database

Free access is provided to all Gazettes published since January, 2014.

In 2014, users accessed Rospatent Gazettes on more than 3,441,000 occasions.

The addresses of web pages of the Office’s site containing information on information products and services provided by the Office:

• Rospatent Patent and Information Resources section:

http://www.rupto.ru/about/resources/inf_res;

• Information on subscribing to patent information products – in the Patent Information Products section: Catalog of Publications and Databases:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/publishing_activities/;

• How to Access Publications and Databases subsection:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/publishing_activities/porayad_pr/;

• How to carry out a search – in the Information Resources section, Information-Search System sub-section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system;

Open Registers: http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/;

Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette, in the Official Publications section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/ofic_pub/ofic_bul/iz_pm;

• Patent databases- Databases subsection in the Information-Search System section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_2/;

• Information on how to access and use resources – in the Information-Search System section, Services:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/article_6/;

Support:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_4/;

Instructions for Using an Information-Search System sub-sections:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_1a/.

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

All patent documents in Russian databases contain information on current legal status that is updated three times a month.

The Automated Database (ADB) subsystems to determine legal status use the given official publications containing information on new registrations of protection titles and changes.  Following publication of each Gazette, data on legal status are displayed on the Rospatent site in the Information Resources section.  For inventions and utility models patent status may be “valid”, “may terminate validity”, “validity terminated, but may be restored”, and “validity terminated”.

Information on the legal status of inventions and utility models is published in Rospatent’s Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette posted on the FIPS and Rospatent websites, as well as in the FIPS Gazette, Inventions and Utility Models (on CD/DVD):

- information on the grant of RF patents for inventions and utility models;

- information on amendments to the published information on applications for inventions and to entries in the State Registers of Inventions and Utility Models (Notifications section of the Gazette).

Information is provided in the Information Resources section of the Office’s website on registrations with an indication of the legal status or stage of prosecution of the registered subject matter in the Open Registers: http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/.

Other sources

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

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

In 2014, automated systems were put into operation for keeping the State Register of Russian Federation Inventions (EGR) and the State Register of Russian Federation Utility Models (EGR) on electronic carrier.

In 2014, an automated paperless prosecution system was introduced for examining applications for registration of industrial property agreements (Agreements), offering paperless prosecution, electronic State services (integrated into the State Services Portal), as well as integration into the Electronic State Registers (EGR).

In 2014, an automated paperless prosecution system was put into operation for reviewing applications to introduce amendments to the registers of inventions, utility models, and industrial designs (including extending the term of and restoring patents) (Patent Prosecution).

In 2014, Rospatent examiners used the Information-Search System, PatSearch, for invention and utility model examinations. The PatSearch system is a professional search system for patent office examiners to perform searches when examining inventions and utility models. As a result, a wide range of functions and services has been introduced into the system.

Below is a list of the main functions of the system:

- Search in selected arrays

- Index browsing when preparing a request

- Sample analysis (statistics on search results)

- Document viewer (with highlighting of search terms)

- Two-window document viewing

- Print documents

- Export documents

- Consideration of IPC reform and subsequent reclassification

- Search based on the American patent classification, USPC, as well as the Thomson Reuters (Derwent) classification.

- Multilingual machine translation (including translation of a selection of the document or the whole document, and separate translation of query)

- Analysis of search results (including cluster analysis and construction of semantic networks)

- Espacenet search

- E-Library search

- Scopus search

- Amino acid and nucleotide sequence search in the European data bank, EMBL.

Extensive use has been made of the opportunity to document search histories, including an indication of search arrays, search query transcripts, and the number of documents located and viewed, as well as a list of documents included in the examiner’s final selection.

Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office

Equipment used:

PrimePower 1500 server

(RAM – 32 GB, processors – 14, external memory – 24 TB)

HP DL380 server – 42 units

(RAM – 4 GB, processors - 2, external memory – 200 GB)

HP DL580 server – 18 units

(RAM – 16 GB, processors - 4, external memory - 600 GB)

HP, Fujitsu-Siemens workstations – 1,160 units.

Switching equipment:

Cisco 6503, Cisco 4507

Software:

Solaris, Windows XP, Windows 7,

Windows 2003 Server, Windows 2008 Server operating systems.

Carriers used:

Ultrium magnetic tapes.

Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources

In 2014, the main search tool was Rospatent’s in-house search system, PatSearch, which is available at each examiner’s workstation.  The search array of PatSearch includes patent documentation from Russia, the USSR, and CIS countries, and countries included in PCT minimum documentation, as well as the WPI database. The PatSearch system supports searches of non-patent literature in external sources: searches of genetic sequences on the European Bioinformatics Institute website. In addition to PatSearch, all examiners enjoy free access to all foreign patent office search databases, and to several databases of non-patent literature.

Rospatent’s in-house search system, PatSearch, enables examiners to perform searches for non-patent scientific and technical literature on the Russian Foundation of Basic Research (RFFI) Electronic Scientific Library website and in the SCOPUS abstracts database at their work stations. Library websites and websites of specialized databases, both national and foreign, in the fields of medicine, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals and technology, access to which is provided free of charge, may also be used by examiners from work stations, as well as Internet search engines Google, Rambler and Yandex.

In addition, examiners are provided with access in special search rooms to subject-specific databases on optical disks, national and foreign non-patent databases on the Internet that are freely accessible, as well as the commercial abstract database, VINITI. 

Examiners conduct basic searches at their workstations, and no statistics of examiners’ usage of non-patent databases are kept. When searching for non-patent literature in the Training and Computer Search room (i.e., in addition to work station access), the most popular database among examiners has traditionally been VINITI. This contains arrays of Russian-language abstracts from sources of national and foreign scientific and technical literature (material from periodical and serial publications, books, dissertations, conference materials, theses, patents, regulatory documents and deposited scientific work), 30 per cent of which is from Russian sources.

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

The main source of information for the principal functions of Rospatent is the State Patent Collection (GPF).

At present, the modern automated patent information system, PatSearch, is in full operation at FIPS, and is the most important and rapidly developing part of the GPF.  The creation and development of this system, while maintaining the existing parts of the GPF on physical media (collections on paper, micro-carrier, and optical disks), was determined by objective changes brought about by transferring the official publications of the leading patent offices onto websites or specialized resources instead of using a physical carrier (optical disks) in the international exchange of patent documentation.

The main source for establishing the State Patent Collection (GPF), including its electronic PatSearch system content, is the international exchange of patent documentation. Regardless of the transformation of the traditional system of data exchange, international exchange continues to exist and evolve in a new format using new information technology based on PatSearch requirements, and ensures the GPF is updated free of charge in accordance with the latest global trends. 

Foreign patent documentation obtained using FTP may be loaded onto the PatSearch system from the websites or specialist Internet resources of foreign patent offices or organizations.

The functionality of this system is mainly intended for organizing examiners’ work.  However, the system is available to VPTB Division users (with certain limitations) for work in the display class.

In 2014, information was uploaded onto the PatSearch system from all arrays of patent documentation from PCT minimum countries, as well as an array of extended abstracts and bibliographies from Thomson Reuters DWPI, containing English-language abstracts of patent documents from over 50 countries. This array is the main source of the search index. Arrays of patent documentation have been uploaded onto the system from the USSR and Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), PCT, the European Patent Office (EPO), the United States of America, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Australia, ARIPO, OAPI, and the Republic of Korea, and English-language abstracts and facsimiles of documents from Japan, China and other countries. The system is provided with a view of the full description of patent documents that have not yet been loaded onto the system but are found in DWPI through integrated online access to EPO arrays. Searches for non-patent literature are made through integrated access to the external digital library, E-Library, and the SCOPUS database of non-patent literature. The majority of the arrays were provided as facsimiles of patent descriptions and required huge amounts of memory to be accommodated – several tens of TB.

System search arrays

• DWPI array
• Descriptions of USSR inventions from 1924 to 1993
• Descriptions of RF inventions from 1994 to date
• Claims of RF utility models from No. 1 to date
• Claims of Russian invention applications
• Unpublished Russian invention applications
• Abstracts of patent documents from the world’s leading countries in English (DWPI)
• Descriptions of inventions from PCT minimum countries, including:
• PCT applications
• EPO
• United States of America
• Japan
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• France
• Austria
• Australia
• Switzerland
• Republic of Korea
• China
• ARIPO
• OAPI
• Descriptions of inventions from CIS countries with abstracts in Russian (CISPATENT)

A total of approximately 93 million patent documents.

In addition, Office examiners have been provided with the opportunity to work with the STN and EPOGUE systems, as well as the EPO’s GPI, on a commercial basis. VPTB users also enjoy access to electronic non-patent literature resources: Kluwer IP Law, Swets&Zeitlinger BV’s electronic resources portal, SwetsWise, Elsevier, etc.

The GPF is one of the most accessible and highest-quality patent collections in the world.  The patent documentation of GPF is provided on all carrier types – optical disks, micro-carriers, optical disks, and local networks.

A significant part of the GPF is available on optical disks (56,700 optical disks as at January 1, 2015) and the collection is formed, mainly, from traditional international exchange with foreign patent offices. The patent collection on optical disks contains patent documentation from Russia, the PCT minimum countries, CIS, the international organizations, WIPO, EPO, and EAPO, as well as Denmark, Spain, Serbia, Slovenia, and Finland, etc.; patent documentation is made available to all categories of users in the VPTB display class.

The collection of optical disks is stored in metal cupboards.  Information on disk locations (cupboard number, shelf number, etc.), their usage history, possible exchanges and so on are available in a special technology database.  Work with this collection is free of charge for all categories of users in the VPTB display class.

Information downloaded from the FTP servers is temporarily stored on the local network before being subsequently uploaded onto PatSearch.

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

The Automated Databank (ABD), designed to prosecute applications and protection titles for inventions and utility models, has subsystems that manage the work of examiners and support staff, as well as capturing statistical information on various aspects of the activities of Rospatent subdivisions.

The subsystems for statistics allow the creation of over 300 different forms of reports on the activities of the Office’s subdivisions.

The electronic prosecution system for inventions and utility models (AS EA) supports functions to load and download electronic documents to Applications e-Work, plan examiners’ work, draft master plans and portfolios of examiners’ applications, list applications by applicant, capture statistics, provide access to Applications e-Work and application components, review bibliographical information, prepare outgoing correspondence, sign decisions on issuance of patents by electronic signature, introduce revisers’ corrections to the electronic packet of elements of an application for publication and has an application search function and a developed user administration system.  The AS EA system is integrated into ABD.

Other matters

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

Patent library: equipment, collection management, network of patent libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign patent libraries

The main functions of the All-Russian Patent Technology Library (VPTB) is the establishment of the State Patent Collection (GPF), including patent documentation on all industrial property subject matter, scientific and technical and legal and patent literature on all carrier types, and also providing them to all categories of users. In so doing, VPTB fulfills the functions of a public library and the library of the Office at the same time. The main source for the GPF is international exchange, which ensures updating of patent documentation and Official Gazettes of foreign offices, while national and foreign scientific and technical, and legal and patent, literature is updated through subscription and obtaining books and periodicals.

As at January 1, 2015, the GPF comprised 120,629,700 documents overall. 

In order to assist VPTB readers, both general and specialized reading rooms are provided:

- computer room (for optical disks and remote databases);

- paper and microform patent documentation;

- information and bibliography services;

- etc.

VPTB provides free access to patent collections that are targeted at all categories of RF users, as well as those in neighboring and other foreign countries without any restrictions. Visits and services are free of charge for all categories of library users.

The VPTB patent collection is managed according to type of industrial property and information carrier.

The Library premises are equipped with an alarm system and an automatic fire-fighting system.

A total of 85,200 persons consulted GPF in 2014.

In 2014, users (including examiners) were issued with over 32.8 million copies of patent documents: approximately 2.5 million copies on paper; 3,800 copies on micro-carrier, and over 30.3 million copies on optical disks and from remote databases.

The patent information services of VPTB are provided to remote users on request, including performing patent information searches and factual references, and providing certified copies of documents of title. In 2014, most user requests involved searches for title documents of specific natural persons and legal entities.

Overall, during the course of the year, over 3,100 patent information services were provided at the request of remote users. 

The Russian patent office does not have a regional network of patent libraries, yet, through international exchange, it cooperates with a number of foreign patent libraries, including the Latvian Patent Technology Library, the Library of the Patent Office of Austria, the Central Patent Library of the Office of Bulgaria, the State Patent Technology Library of the Republic of Tajikistan, and other libraries.

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

The VPTB offers a unique collection of legal and patent, and dictionary and reference literature (PPL collection), which is an important constituent part of the GPF. The PPL collection on paper and electronic information carriers includes publications on a wide range of theoretical and practical issues of intellectual property protection in the Russian Federation and abroad, including issues relating to the creation, legal protection, and commercialization of the results of intellectual activity, jurisprudence, protection of intellectual property on the Internet, activity of international organizations, and international cooperation in the field of intellectual property, etc.

The PPL collection contains various types of information source: legislative acts, international and intergovernmental agreements, treaties, regulations, as well as instructions, orders, rules and other documents; comments and reviews; guidelines and study aids; standards in the field of patent and scientific and technical information; annual reports of patent offices; symposium and conference materials; collections of court decisions; collections of statistics; bibliographical publications, industry, terminology and language dictionaries, reference books and encyclopedias.

At present, the PPL collection comprises approximately 88,300 publications, with the oldest publications dating from 1810. 

Aside from the above-mentioned information sources, all categories of users are provided with access to Kluwer IP Law database (publisher,), containing information on various aspects of legal protection of intellectual property subject matter in different countries throughout the world, and Kluwer Law and Business, Edward Elgar and MyiLibrary electronic books.

The Office examiners are also provided with access to non-patent literature through inter-library lending and electronic document delivery systems. In order to meet examiners’ requirements, the collections of nine specialized Moscow libraries are used, as well as foreign electronic resources (electronic resource portals, Elsevier, etc.). 

An electronic catalog, Legal Protection of Intellectual Property: Domestic and Foreign Publications, has been created based on an analysis of publications entering into the PPL collection, bibliographies, publications posted on the Internet, and other sources. The catalog is a comprehensive information resource of patent and legal information and is a search-reference tool for the PPL collection. The catalog is a comprehensive information resource of patent and legal information and is a search-reference tool for the PPL collection. The catalog contains bibliographical descriptions in the original language, and Russian translations of titles and/or abstracts, and as of January 1, 2015, there were approximately 142,200 bibliographic records.

The VPTB Division section of the FIPS website is constantly being updated and supplemented with materials. The following are updated quarterly: the guidelines on the VPTB Collection and Internet Resources, the Internet Navigator for Patent Information Resources, Recommendations on the list of essential methodology, legal and patent literature and documentation for the provision of documents for the patent subdivisions and services of the State science and education sector and organizations of the national nanotechnology network; and translations into Russian of the EPO publication Patent Information News.  Bibliography lists are made available on a monthly basis to help regional experts with issues that arise regarding protection of intellectual property subject matter and questions of judicial practice, and issues in the commercialization of the results of intellectual activity. In order to assist novice users of patent information on the FIPS website, the For Beginners section was created.    

Overall, in 2014 more than 147,900 users consulted the information available in the VPTB Division section of the FIPS website.

Reference information on the stages of prosecution in patenting subject matter of patent law is published on the Rospatent website in the Subject Matter of Patent Law section:

http://www.rupto.ru/activities/objects.

Information on the systems for granting legal protection abroad is available in the Foreign Patenting section: http://www.rupto.ru/ohrana_zarubezh, as well as in the International Cooperation section: http://www.rupto.ru/activities/inter.

In order to ensure the uniform practical application of the provisions of Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation regulating the grant of legal protection to the subject matter of patent legislation and means of individualization, a range of guidelines have been posted on the FIPS website in the Inventions and Utility Models section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inventions_utility_models/rec_inv.

To assist the patent subdivisions and the State services of the science and education sector and organizations of the national nanotechnology network, a range of method-related materials are available on the website:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/regions/nano_pat;

Recommendations on the list of essential methodology, legal and patent literature and documentation for the provision of documents for the patent subdivisions and services of the State science and education sector and organizations of the national nanotechnology network, are published in the Rospatent and the Regions section:

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/regions/recomend;

In the Information Resources section, in the Open Registers, information is provided on registering intellectual property subject matter with an indication of its legal status or state of prosecution:  

http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/

Internet publications from the All-Russian Patent Technology Library Division are available on the FIPS website in the State Patent Collection and VPTB Information Products sections at:

 http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/fonds/.

For novice users of patent information, links can be found to WIPO publications in Russian under the What is Intellectual Property? heading in the For Beginners section: http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/about/ip.

Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)

Work continued throughout 2014 to maintain the PROMT automated translation system available to examiners. The system was updated with a new version of PROMT PTS, which enables transfer of documents to PDF format using the function ‘translator’s tools’, and viewing and comparison of translations of text obtained through different translation profiles, and has a number of other useful services. An inventory of connections to the new system and its collection of specialized dictionaries was carried out in order to ensure uninterrupted operation of the system on the examiners’ work stations, and account for them all. Work was carried out to install the new version of the system on work stations, and troubleshoot any system crashes or malfunctioning at the examiners’ request. 

Training in the features of the new version of the PROMT system was provided to experienced examiners, while newly-recruited staff were trained in use of the system. Advice was provided on getting the most out of the functions of the system at work stations and in the Training and Computer Search room.

Work has continued on updating and amending the English - Russian expert user thematic dictionaries in order to improve translation quality, and to integrate them subsequently into the PROMT system. 

Work will continue on maintaining the PROMT system, and updating the customized dictionaries, enabling examiners to use the system to obtain higher-quality translations of foreign patent documentation.

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

Given the importance of knowing the basics of intellectual property and in order to train new specialists in the skills for successful work in science, economics and industry, the VPTB Division holds a range of different events in cooperation with universities, research centers, Technology and Innovation Support Centers, etc., including:

• organizing and holding seminars and practical classes at the GPF for students from a number of Moscow higher education institutions. In 2014, 30 excursions and practical classes on working with patent documentation were held, which were attended by over 400 persons.
• in order to promote knowledge of intellectual property, round tables are organized periodically in Moscow, and thematic meetings with management and senior Rospatent and FIPS specialists have been organized for representatives of small- and medium-sized businesses, students and lecturers of institutes of higher education, and other professionals interested in intellectual property matters. In 2014, seven thematic meetings were held with senior FIPS specialists, which were attended by 818 people. The following regional TISCs took part in six of these meetings via videoconference: Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Belgorod State National Research University; State Budgetary Cultural Institution Belgorod State Universal Scientific Library; Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization Intellectual Property Center of the Republic of Mordovia, and Autonomous Institution Technopark-Mordovia (Saransk, jointly); Autonomous Institution High-Technology Technopark (Khanty-Mansiysk); Federal State Budgetary Cultural Institution State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk); Federal State  Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Astrakhan State Medical Academy of the RF Ministry of Health), and Federal State  Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Don State Technical University (Rostov-on-Don). In total, there were 139 participants from the regions.

A series of training activities on intellectual property were conducted in 2014 in conjunction with the Moscow City VOIR. In total, 457 people were trained over 10 sessions on the themes of ‘Methods of searching for information on patent databases of inventions, utility models and industrial designs’, and ‘Information Products of the VPTB Division on the FIPS website’.

• assists with the updating, on a non-remunerated basis, of patent collections of patent documentation on optical disks in the institutes of higher education, libraries, and other regional organizations of the Russian Federation most actively involved in innovation processes.  In 2014, approximately 1,500 optical disks with national invention descriptions were sent to various institutes of higher education. In 2014, a further 433 disks with foreign invention descriptions, and 11 disks of foreign patent periodicals, were sent to the regions of Russia.

In 2014, as part of the Program for Regional Information Support, Rospatent provided 24 new accesses to FIPS’ full-text databases of descriptions of national inventions and utility models to business entities in the Russian regions free of charge, including an additional opportunity for Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) to conduct industrial design searches.

The opportunity to access databases on the FIPS website free of charge via the Internet was provided to 299 organizations in nine federal districts of the Russian Federation as at December 31, 2014. Access was provided to: 48 support organizations; eight science cities; 41 State scientific centers (SSC), 35 scientific centers of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SC RAS), 40 organizations within the framework of the Federal Target Program, Development of Nano-industry Infrastructure in the Russian Federation for 2008–2011 (FTP), 109 TISC and 18 other organizations.

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

At FIPS, professional development for employees is organized under the Common Training System (ESO), according to the principle of continuous training from the time of hiring.  Guaranteeing conditions for the continuous professional development of employees is provided for under the FIPS Charter.

Organization of FIPS employee training using in-house training methods

In 2014, in accordance with the Combined Plans for In-House Training of Employees, as approved by the Director of FIPS, the following were held: 

- 33 centralized sessions, for the managers of the structural subdivisions, their deputies, and senior FIPS employees, covering issues relevant to the practice of activities, and targeted at various categories of employee;

- 546 sessions directly in the FIPS subdivisions in accordance with the quarterly in-house training plans focused in the main on studying newly released regulatory documents, issues in the performance of examinations, as well as analyzing the results of internal and external examination quality control in specific subdivisions, and carried out by the management teams of the subdivisions in question.

In the second half of 2014, the principal focus of the sessions was on training management and examiners to work in the conditions of the amended Civil Code of the Russian Federation (No.35-FZ of March 12, 2014).     

As part of the process of exchanging experience with foreign patent offices, four training seminars were held at Rospatent for staff examiners and administrative and managerial staff from FIPS as an introduction to the law enforcement practices of other patent offices (EPO, OHIM, SIPO, IPOM).  The seminars were attended by approximately 240 specialists.

Professional Development of Newly-Recruited FIPS Examiners

In 2014, based on the results of an open tender for the professional development of newly-recruited FIPS examiners of inventions and utility models, a civil contract was concluded with RGAIS, in accordance with which training was organized and conducted of the 12th stream of newly-recruited FIPS examiners, consisting of 28 people. The training was carried out in accordance with the thematic curriculum, and was 220 academic hours in duration.

Training under higher professional education programs

In 2014, 11 FIPS employees continued training under the higher professional education program at RGAIS (first degree), three of whom were funded by FIPS.  One person gained a degree, while two others are continuing their studies. Eight employees studied at their own expense, of whom two gained a degree.

21 FIPS employees enrolled at their own expense to study on the RGAIS graduate program (course 40.04.01, Law).

RGAIS post-graduate studies

Three FIPS employees continued their studies as post-graduates at RGAIS on their own initiative.

Training for staff examiners in how to use different search systems

In order to improve the quality of examination searches, both newly recruited and experienced examiners have undergone training in how to use the various search tools confidently. Advice on optimal use of various search systems was likewise offered in the search rooms.

The main area of focus for the training was professional use of the in-house search system, PatSearch, and in particular, its updated functionality. Training was also conducted on topics involving databases which contained information that was lacking from PatSearch. This included providing full texts of national patent documents (and automatic translation into English thereof), as well as application file materials, and databases of the EPO, and patent offices of the United States of America, Japan, Republic of Korea and China.

Special programs have been developed for each topic. Training included a theoretical part, highlighting the features of the examination search, and a practical part with a large number of tasks reflecting both the usage capabilities of different users, and also the various nuances of request formulation while taking into account examination topics.

Groups of students were formed taking into account the level of training, specifics of the work, examination topics, and a number of other factors. Where necessary, refresher training was conducted individually and in groups for less confident users of the search systems. Newly-recruited examiners underwent mandatory training held annually in the use of databases and automated translation and application prosecution systems and that have been selected for examination searches.

The purpose of the training was to enhance attendees’ abilities to a level enabling independent and professional use of available electronic information resources and automated systems on a day-to-day basis.

In 2014, Rospatent took part in organizing and staging two international invention exhibitions:

• April 1-4- 17th Moscow International Exhibition of Inventions and Innovation Technologies, Archimedes 2014 (Moscow);
• November 13-15- 63^rd World Exhibition of Innovation, Research and New Technologies, Brussels- Innova/Eureka 2014 (Brussels, Belgium).

In 2014, Rospatent participated in organizing and holding 40 conferences, seminars and round tables in 19 regions of the Russian Federation:

•  January 16- round table on ‘Tatarstan in the Global World: Creating the Future’, as part of the International Conference, Gaidar Forum- 2014, ‘Russia and the World: Sustainable Development’ (Moscow);
•  January 28-29- training seminar for specialists of Moscow City Organization of the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators on ‘Using Patent Databases on the Internet’ (FIPS, Moscow);
•  February 26-27- seminar on ‘Issues in Patent Law’ (Republic of Karelia Ministry of Economic Development, Petrozavodsk);
•  March 18-19- regional practical research conference for specialists of the Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation on ‘Tools to Enhance Inventive Activity and Development of the Intellectual Property Market in the Russian Regions’ (Autonomous Institution Technopark-Mordovia, Saransk);
•  March 20-21- 14^th Intellectual Property Forum (‘infor-media Russia’, Moscow);
•  April 2- Rospatent practical research conference on ‘Patent Information Resources of Innovative Development of the Russian Economy’, at the 17^th Moscow International Exhibition of Inventions and Innovation Technologies, Archimedes 2014 (Sokol’niki EcoCenter, Moscow);
•  April 9- seminar on ‘Examining Industrial Property Applications at the Federal Institute of Industrial Property’ (Perm’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Perm’);
•  April 17- seminar on ‘Basics of Patent Search, Types of Freely Available Databases’ (A.M. Gorky State Budgetary Cultural Institution, Tver’ Order Badge of Honor Regional Universal Scientific Library, Tver’);
•  April 21- International Conference on ‘Intellectual Potential of Russia’, as part of the St.Petersburg city festival, ‘Intellectual Property Days’ (Institute of International Business and Law, National Research University of Information Technology, Mechanics and Optics, St. Petersburg);
•  April 22- Youth Practical Research Conference on ‘Regional Intellectual Property Programs and Projects through the Eyes of Young People’ (Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Moscow);
•  April 22-23- Second Forum on ‘Innovation Potential of Russia’, organized in conjunction with WIPO (Rospatent, Moscow);
•  April 23- round table on ‘Applicants’ Electronic Interaction with FIPS’ as part of the St.Petersburg city festival, ‘Intellectual Property Days’ (Institute of International Business and Law, National Research University of Information Technology, Mechanics and Optics, St. Petersburg);
•  April 23- thematic section on ‘Computer Programs and Protection of Rights Therein in the World of Innovation’, as part of the Sixth International Forum on ‘Intellectual Property – 21^st Century’ (Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Moscow);
•  April 24- International conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the first Russian Law on Industrial Designs, organized in conjunction with WIPO and the EU Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), on ‘Industrial Designs: Past, Present and Future’ (Rospatent, Moscow);
•  April 24- round table on ‘Legal Protection of Computer Programs and Databases’, as part of the St.Petersburg city festival, ‘Intellectual Property Days’ (Institute of International Business and Law, National Research University of Information Technology, Mechanics and Optics, St. Petersburg);
•  April 29- training seminar on ‘Patent Information Resources for Regional Innovation Development’ (State Budgetary Cultural Institution, Belgorod State Universal Scientific Library, Belgorod)
•  May 21-22- Twelfth Volga Practical Research Conference on ‘Current Issues in Intellectual Property Protection’ (State Budgetary Educational Institution of Further Professional Education, ‘Nizhny Novgorod Scientific Information Center’, Nizhny Novgorod);
•  May 28- webinar as part of the Interuniversity Practical Research Conference, ‘Innova-2014’ (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Moscow, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, ‘Sakhalin State University’ - FIPS);
•  May 28-29- regional practical research conference for specialists of the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation on ‘Current Issues in Legal Protection and Use of the Results of Intellectual Activity and Means of Individualization’ (Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Belgorod State National Research University, Belgorod);
•  June 3-4- International practical research seminar on ‘Intellectual Property in the Context of  Innovation Development’ (Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, M.K.Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk);
•  June 18-19- regional scientific and practical seminar as part of the international project to create a network of Technology and Innovation Support Centers in the Russian Federation (Tyumen’ Regional Council of the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators, Tyumen’);
•  June 24-25- national seminar on ‘Promoting Effective Use of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Trademarks, and the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs’, organized in conjunction with WIPO (A.M. Gorky State Budgetary Cultural Institution, Tver’ Order Badge of Honor Regional Universal Scientific Library, Tver’);
•  June 25-27- practical research conference, ‘St. Petersburg Collegial Readings- 2014’ (Regional Public Organization, ‘Saint-Petersburg patent bar’, St. Petersburg);
•  June 26-28- conference dedicated to the 40^th anniversary of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise, ‘State Scientific Research Institute of Pure Biologics’ of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia (Federal State Unitary Enterprise, ‘State Scientific Research Institute of Pure Biologics’ of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, St.Petersburg);
•  July 3-5- 18^th International Congress, ‘Phytopharm-2014 (St.Petersburg State Chemical and Pharmaceutical Academy);
•  September 5- tripartite international seminar  on ‘Consideration of Intellectual Property Disputes in the Administrative Procedure’, organized in conjunction with the patent offices of the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia (Rospatent, Moscow);
•  September 17-18- meeting with management of Scientific and Production Association, Celta, discussion of issues relating to the opening of TISCs in the Crimean Republic; working meeting of management of the Russian Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation with management of scientific institutions of the Crimean Republic and Sevastopol’ (Simferopol’);
•  September 24-25- regional practical research conference for specialists of the Far Eastern Federal District of the Russian Federation, on ‘Current Issues in Legal Protection and Use of the Results of Intellectual Activity and Means of Individualization’ (Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization, ‘Far East Innovation Promotion Agency’, Khabarovsk);

September 24-25- Third TISC RF Congress, organized in conjunction with WIPO (Institute of International Business and Law, St.Petersburg National Research University of Information Technology, Mechanics and Optics, St.Petersburg);

•  September 25- practical research conference on ‘Problems of Legal Protection and Effective Use of Intellectual Property’ (Kaluga Scientific and Technical Information Center, branch of Federal State Budgetary Institution, Russian Energy Agency, Russian Ministry of Energy, Kaluga);
•  October 1- seminar on ‘Introducing Intellectual Property into Economic Circulation at Novosibirsk Enterprises’, within the framework of the International Industrial Exhibition, ‘Infrastructure Development in Siberia/IDES 2014’ (State Public Scientific Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk);
•  October 1-2- organized in conjunction with the Skolkovo Intellectual Property Center, Skolkovo Open University, and WIPO, ‘Skolkovo Patent School’ (Moscow);
•  October 8-9- 18^th Rospatent practical research conference, ‘Part Four of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation: Innovations in Intellectual Property’ (Rospatent, Moscow);
•  October 22- round table on ‘Soviet Trademarks: Balancing the Interests of Rights Holders and Actual Users’, as part of the international practical research conference, the Ninth Annual Scientific Readings in Memory of Professor S.N.Bratus’ on the Theme ‘State and Business in a System of Legal Reference’ (Federal State Research Institution, Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow);
•  October 28-29- national seminar organized in conjunction with WIPO on ‘Promoting Efficient Use of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Trademarks, and the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs’ (V.Ya.Shishkov Regional State Budgetary Institution, Altai Region Universal Scientific Library, Barnaul).
•  November 11-12- regional practical research conference for specialists of the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation, on ‘Current Issues in Legal Protection and Use of the Results of  Intellectual Activity and Means of Individualization’ (Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Kuban’ State Technological University, Krasnodar);
•  November 19- meeting of the St.Petersburg division of the Russian Academy of Sciences on ‘Intellectual property and Innovation’ (A.M.Gorky House of Scientists, Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg);
•  November 20- practical research conference, ‘Current Issues in Legal Protection and Use of the Results of Intellectual Activity’ (State Cultural Institution, Tula Regional Universal Scientific Library, Tula);
•  November 26-27- practical research seminar on ‘Features of Legal Protection of Appellations of Origin’ (State Budgetary Cultural Institution, Belgorod State Universal Scientific Library, Belgorod);
•  December 17- webinar on ‘Features of Legal Protection of the Intellectual Property of a Higher Educational Institution (Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Tomsk National Research Polytechnic University, Tomsk; FIPS, Moscow).

A total of over 2,000 people from various regions of the Russian Federation attended the conferences, seminars and round tables that took place in 2014.

Other activities

VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF PATENT INFORMATION

International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information

In order to fulfill its obligations in relation to exchange of patent information, since January, 2014, FIPS has posted patent documentation on the Institute’s FTP server, instead of sending data on disks.

As part of international exchange, access to documentation has been granted to the offices of 47 foreign countries and four international organizations.

In order to keep the State patent collection up to date, the VPTB Division of FIPS at present engages in international exchange of patent documentation with 57 countries and six international organizations.

In 2015, VPTB of FIPS received:

-       2,823,971 copies of full descriptions of foreign patent documents electronically (of which 2,205,890 documents were received on optical disk, and 618,081 were downloaded from foreign patent office websites or Internet resources) from 23 countries and five organizations; 53 annual sets of invention descriptions were received on optical disks.

-       1,865 copies of Gazettes containing information on inventions were received in all formats from 45 countries and one international organization: 12 paper copies; 283 copies on optical disks, and 1,570 copies were downloaded from the websites or Internet resources of foreign patent offices.

Nine sets (131 copies) of the combined regional output of CIS countries on CD-ROM CISPATENT were forwarded to six foreign patent offices and EPO. Nine countries participating in the project were sent nine sets (140 copies).

Under the framework of international exchange with foreign patent offices in 2014, aside from patent documentation, legal and patent publications were also sent to individual patent offices in accordance with existing agreements (129 copies in total: 105 on paper and 24 on disk).

Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed at the instigation of WIPO between VPTB and the information and education services of the WIPO information division, as a WIPO Depository Library, VPTB has since 2009 received one copy, in English and Russian, of every new WIPO publication free of charge.

In 2014, Rospatent, acting as a Receiving Office, transferred 1,103 registered copies of international applications and 790 certified copies of priority applications to WIPO electronically by means of PCT-EDI, without sending paper copies. 

In December, 2013, test transmission via PCT-EDI of international search reports and written notes of the International Searching Authority was ended, and all international search reports and written notes were only transferred to WIPO electronically, without sending hard copies.

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

During 2014, active participation continued in the work to establish and refine both new and existing WIPO Standards in the field of patent information under the relevant Task Forces of the Committee on WIPO Standards.

In 2014, the Task Force on Standards ST.36, ST.66 and ST.86 continued its work on the revision and updating of relevant standards.

In 2014, the Task Force on standard ST.96 continued discussions in the electronic forum, Wiki, and in the course of two meetings held in Alexandria (United States of America) and London (United Kingdom), for the purpose of preparing version 2.0 XML and Annexes V and VI of the standard based thereon. It is expected that work on version 2.0 XML of standard ST.96 will be completed in April-May, 2015. In the future, work will continue on the revision and updating of standard ST.96. In particular, additions are planned to the standard XML for the electronic exchange of information under the Madrid and Hague systems, as well as the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

The work on the revision of WIPO Standard ST.14, a great deal of attention was paid to the revision of the recommendations for citing non-patent literature, for example, where there are multiple authors, where a document is submitted by an organization that develops standards, and where non-patent literature is cited in a language other than English.

While discussing proposals for the development of a new WIPO standard for exchanging data on the legal status of patents, agreement was reached regarding the aims and scope of the standard, and a list of legal status categories and events was developed for inclusion in the standard.

Active involvement continued in the work of the WIPO Committee of Experts on IPC and ICID, primarily- on draft reviews thereof. Updated Russian versions of these classifications are being prepared following completion of the reviews. The alphabetical indexes for the current versions of IPC are regularly republished.

In 2014, Rospatent continued its active involvement in work to improve the PCT system in the framework of the relevant working bodies of the PCT Union (Meeting of the International Authorities, PCT Working Group, and PCT Working Subgroup). The main focus at this stage was to develop a set of measures to ensure the highest quality of international search and preliminary examination, increase confidence in the results of the International Authorities’ work, align the relevant search and examination procedures for international applications, and ensure more complete and effective use of the results of the International Authorities’ work in the transition of international applications to the national phase.

As part of a set of measures to increase cooperation with foreign patent offices in the implementation of the PPH program, a bilateral PCT-PPH program between Rospatent and the patent office of the Republic of Korea has been introduced, and bilateral PPH-MOTTAINAI and PCT-PPH programs commenced with the patent office of Portugal. The text of a Memorandum of Understanding between Rospatent and the patent office of Singapore (IPOS) was agreed. Since January 6, 2014, a pilot program of the Global Patent Prosecution Highway has been in operation, in which Rospatent has participated. By the end of 2014, 19 patent offices were participating in the GPPH pilot program. In 2014, as part of the agreements on exchange of experience in intellectual property protection, the exchange of experts program has continued with the Japanese patent office. In all during the PPH program, a total of 473 applications to participate in the program had been filed with Rospatent as of December 31, 2014. The number of applications considered for different types of PPH program grows significantly every year.

A Rospatent delegation regularly participates in the work of the ‘East meets West’ forum dedicated to exchanging patent information.

In 2014, the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding between Rospatent and WIPO for the creation of TISCs in the Russian Federation continued to be implemented.

Cooperation agreements have been concluded, including the main provisions on the organization of a basic TISC (level-one TISC), with 19 organizations: Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Volgograd Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, State Budgetary Cultural Institution Lipetsk Regional Universal Scientific Library, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Togliatti State University, Budgetary Institution of the Chuvash Republic, National Library of the Chuvash Republic, Private Educational Institution Togliatti Institute of Technical Creativity and Patents, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Amur State University, Federal State Unitary Enterprise All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Materials, State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation, Scientific and Production Association Selta, Fund of Future-Oriented Research, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Kh.M.Berbekov Kabardino-Balkar State University, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan, Federal Budgetary Institution State Regional Center of Standardization, Metrology and Testing in the Republic of Buryatia, State Autonomous Cultural Institution of the Republic of Buryatia National Library of the Republic of Buryatia, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Mari State University, Voronezh Center of Scientific and Technical Information- Branch of Federal State Budgetary Institution Russian Energy Agency Ministry of Energy of Russia, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Mari-El, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher, Professional Education Volga State Technological University, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Voronezh Forestry Academy, and Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Tambov State Technical University.

Additionally, 17 level-two TISCs have been created on the basis of tripartite agreements:

At ZAO Infora, St.Petersburg; at Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Kazan’ National Research Technological University, Republic of Tatarstan, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Kazan’ State Energy University, Gazprom Transgaz Kazan’ Ltd., OAO Scientific and Production Association, State Institute of Applied Optics, Tatintek Ltd., State Autonomous Healthcare Institution Republican Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan, OAO TANEKO, Innovation and Technology Center, Consulting, Research, Automation and Technology Ltd., ZAO ENIKS, State Autonomous Institution Technopark in High Technology IT-park, OAO KAMAZ; at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, Republic of Bashkortostan, Ufa Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences; at Cheboksary Polytechnic Institute (branch) of the University of Engineering, Republic of Chuvashia; at the State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Surgut State University, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Region; at the Technical Institute (branch) of Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University (SVFU), Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Polytechnical Institute (branch) of SVFU.

As at December 31 2014, TISCs had been established at 116 economic entities from 63 regions in nine federal districts of the Russian Federation. A full list of economic entities providing TISC services has been posted on the Internet on the official FIPS website (www.fips.ru) in the Cooperation with Regions of Russia, Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs) section.

An important aspect of the TISC project is conducting free training seminars and workshops for training center staff. In 2014, FIPS held two training seminars:

-     April 22 and 23, 2014 - as part of the Second Rospatent Innovation Potential of Russia Forum, a practical seminar on ‘Tools and Methods for Taking Decisions in Legal Protection and Using the Results of Intellectual Activity’ (Moscow);

-     June 18 and 19, 2014- regional practical research seminar in Tyumen’.

In June 2014, representatives of Russian regional TISCs attended a Sino-Russian seminar organized by Rospatent and the State Office for Intellectual Property of the PRC, in conjunction with WIPO and the Heilongjiang Office of Intellectual Property of the PRC, on the topic of ‘Patent Information and Support in Building Innovation Potential’ in Harbin (People’s Republic of China).

On September 24-25, 2014, the Third TISC Congress took place in St.Petersburg. Congress organizers: WIPO, Rospatent, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Institute of International Business and Law, ‘St.Petersburg National Research University of Information Technology, Mechanics and Optics’.

From April 1-4, 2014, at the Sokol’niki Exhibition and Congress Center, Moscow, the 17th Moscow International Exhibition of Inventions and Innovation Technologies, Archimedes 2014, took place, with the support of the Government of Moscow, WIPO, Rospatent, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia, and Union Society of Inventors and Innovators. The Archimedes 2014 Exhibition was attended by representatives of 42 regions of the Russian Federation, and inventors from 16 countries: United Kingdom, Taiwan, Germany, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Qatar, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. 529 attendees took part in the Archimedes Exhibition’s competitions, representing more than 750 projects from various fields of science and technology. 

On April 2, 2014, as part of the 17th Moscow International Exhibition of Inventions and Innovation Technologies, Archimedes 2014, Rospatent’s practical research conference took place on ‘Patent Information Resources of Innovative Development of the Economy of Russia’. The conference was attended by representatives of WIPO, as well as administrative and management structures, educational establishments, the public organization, Union Society of Inventors and Innovators, and scientific, industrial and other organizations from a number of regions of the Russian Federation. The number of regions of Russia represented at the conference was 25 (Barnaul, Belgorod, Vladikavkaz, Grozny, Yekaterinburg, Kazan’, Krasnodar, Magnitogorsk, Makhachkala, Moscow, Moscow region, Murmansk, Murom, Obninsk, Omsk, Ryazan’, Samara, St.Petersburg, Stavropol’, Tatarstan, Tver’, Togliatti, Cheboksary, Yakutsk, and Yaroslavl’). Overall, 125 persons attended the conference. During the conference, 16 papers were presented, and a round table was held on the subject of the conference. Rospatent and FIPS staff presented 13 papers, and a WIPO employee, one.

VPTB participates in the International Project “Establishing a Network of Technology and Innovation Support Centers” (TISC). In accordance with Annexes 1 and 2 to the Agreement on Establishing TISCs, over 750 DVD-ROM optical disks containing sets of Russian patent documents were sent to TISCs during 2014.

An annotated list of WIPO publications on the basics of intellectual property protection (in Russian), providing links to the full text of documents available on the WIPO website (53 titles), has been updated and placed on the FIPS website in the TISC section, under the heading “Information Resources for TISCs.”   

The following bibliographic indexes were prepared as handout materials to place on disk for participants at the Third TISC Congress: ‘Patenting Inventions in accordance with the Eurasian Patent Convention’, ‘Patent Information System in the Russian Federation’, ‘Patent Information System Abroad’, ‘Patenting Inventions in accordance with the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)’; ‘Implementing the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Program in the Russian Federation: Cooperation with Foreign Patent Offices’.

In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed on November 21, 2012 between the Eurasian Patent Office and the Federal Service for Intellectual Property on granting public libraries and leading higher education institutions of the Russian Federation access to the Eurasian patent information system, EAPATIS, appropriate proposals were prepared during 2014, and EAPO granted access to the EAPATIS system to 27 libraries and leading higher education institutions of the Russian Federation (including three higher education institutions in the Crimean Federal District), most of which had the status of a TISC.

Assistance to developing countries

In accordance with the Agreements between Rospatent and the International Bureau of WIPO, Rospatent, acting as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority, prepares search reports with preliminary examination reports on applications filed with the International Bureau of WIPO by developing countries. In 2014, Rospatent received no such applications from the International Bureau of WIPO.

Other activities

VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS

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.

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.

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.