Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of patent information activities and expected time frames for their realization
At the beginning of the year, in response to the pandemic situation in the country and during quarantine operating restrictions, the State Patent Bureau (SPB) initiated amendments to the laws related to Fees for industrial property objects registration. Suspension allowed businesses to manage crisis situations without losing the opportunity to properly pursue the goal of acquiring and protecting their industrial property - annual statistics show that applicants have actively used this opportunity and the number of applications received exceeded the planned indicators.
New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks
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Main areas of patent information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year
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Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and grants with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes
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Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.
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Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) - URLs
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Availability of the application dossier in electronic form
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Classification1, preclassification2 (if applicable), reclassification3 activities; classification systems used (e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC)); matters concerning indexing of patent information
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Abstracting, reviewing, and translation of the information contained in patent documents
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Other activities
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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)
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Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URL), etc.
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Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external collections and databases
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Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to external users, conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)
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Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)
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Other sources
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Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
In 2020 the SPB paid a lot of attention to the improvement and expansion of SPB electronic services and new functionalities. Key 2020 implemented and further developed technological solutions that allow applicants to use SPB services faster and more efficiently.
Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
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Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
Completed Trademarks, Designs and Patent Registers and other related information, migration of system servers to the State Data Center.
Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
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Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)
New features have been added to the electronic application system; and information boxes to make these services easier and simpler to use - all necessary documents can be submitted electronically;
Essentially completed implementation works of administration / information system of the Register of Patents and European Patents in Lithuania. Pilot testing of the system started operation.
Other matters
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Patent library: equipment, collection management, network of patent libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign patent libraries
Lithuania continues to implement the bilateral cooperation agreement between the SPB and the EPO: coordination of PATLIB center activities is continued (there are currently 7 PATLIB centers in Lithuania, established for science and studies institutions).
Publications related to different business procedures and patent information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
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Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)
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Cooperation with universities, research centers, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
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Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
Patent attorneys and attorneys:
Throughout the year, the SPB maintained active communication on procedural deadlines and fees on deferred payment, discussed the practicalities of trademarks, aspects of design and invention protection and the most relevant practice in resolving disputes concerning these objects.
In addition, at the initiative of the SPB, a specialized Intellectual Property Law was established in the Lithuanian Bar Association a committee with whose members the possibilities for cooperation and the legal community were discussed relevant issues, including opportunities for better regulation.
Other activities
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International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information
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Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to patent information
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Assistance to developing countries
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Other activities
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1.Classification is allotting one or more classification symbols (e.g., IPC symbols) to a patent application, either before or during search and examination, which symbols are then published with the patent application.
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.