Where URLs are requested below, it is preferred that either URLs which are likely to remain stable over time (three years or more) are provided, or home (main) page URLs are provided with a short explanation of how to access the corresponding information.
In 2005 the number of trademark registration applications was 1,737, which is 5% less than last year (1,824 in 2004). The activity of Estonian applicants has grown a little. In 2004 domestic applicants filed 1,241applications. In 2005 the number was 1,266, which is a 2% rise. International trademark registrations designating Estonia numbered 3,447 (4,460 in 2004). This means a 23% decrease compared with last year. Thus in total 5,184 trademarks were filed for legal protection (6,284 in 2004). A fall, which began already in 2004 due to accession to the European Union, has been observed also in 2005 in both national and international trademarks (a total fall of 18%).
At the end of the year, 297, 400 registered Community trademarks took effect in the territory of Estonia, including 27 trademarks from Estonia, 32, 436 registered national trademarks and 22, 658 international registrations with protection extended to Estonia were valid in Estonia.
The Trademark Department rendered 6,749 decisions, 1,762 of which concerned national applications and 4,987 international applications, which is 7% less than in 2004. Estonian applicants filed 67 international trademark registration applications for forwarding to WIPO (71 in 2004). Lithuania was number one among the countries designated for protection, followed by Latvia, Russia, Finland, Ukraine, Sweden, Germany and Poland.
The official publication of the Estonian Patent Office is the Estonian Trademark Gazette, published under the Trademark Act. The Gazette contains the text and reproductions of all trademark applications published for opposition, all trademarks that have been registered, all registrations that have been amended, renewed, expired or cancelled.
The Estonian Trademark Gazette comprises of the following parts:
1) Trademarks for publishing,
2) International trademarks for publishing,
3) Registered trademarks,
4) Lists,
5) Changes in the state register of trademarks and service marks,
6) Signs that are protected under article 6ter of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property,
7) Legal acts and information concerning trademarks,
8) Registered geographical indications
9) Changes in the state register of geographical indications,
10) Legal acts and information concerning geographical indications.
The Estonian Trademark Gazette is published 12 times a year.
The Estonian Trademark Gazette of the Estonian Patent Office are available also electronically (in pdf-format, http://www.epa.ee/default.asp?id=576):
Editing and printing is done with PCs, including the trademark certificates and preparation for the printing of the Estonian Trademark Gazette.
International Classifications (Nice Classification, Vienna Classification) of Goods and Services for the purpose of the registration of marks are used.
Before filing a registration application with the Patent Office, it is possible to submit an enquiry on registered and pending trademarks and to use the database of trademarks via the Internet which also includes international registrations of trademarks designating the Republic of Estonia.
WIPO Standard St. 60 is used for bibliographic data coding.
The Estonian Patent Office does not use the manual search files.
The Estonian Patent Office maintains a computerised database that enables the search of verbal and figurative elements of the trademarks (applications, registered marks, international registrations).
The search databases of trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications which are available via the Internet are regularly updated, their use is free.
Trademark database (http://www2.epa.ee/Patent/mark.nsf/SearchEngl?OpenForm) includes registered and pending trademarks and international registrations designating Estonia, and is available to interested parties, including customs authorities and the police. The database of trademarks contains the data since 1 October 1992 of registered trademarks, trademark registration applications filed with the Patent Office and international registrations of trademarks valid in Estonia or filed for registration under the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement in the amount provided by the Trademarks Act.
The database is updated once a week. Updating of the database takes place from 5 p.m. until 12 p.m. (midnight) every Thursday. Searches done at that time may not be successful.
There is also possibility to use CTM-online via web page of the Estonian Patent Office.
Common Software Version 3.2.4. used for administration procedures. The data concerning international trademarks and their images are downloaded from WIPO server and added to the database of trademarks using SPIRIT-MECA software.
The computerised Estonian trademark database contains registered marks and published applications (both national and international) and it can be exploited at the reading room of the Patent Library. Search is carried out by the bibliographer and the customers pay a moderate price for the computerised services.
The Patent Library renders services using the following CD/DVD-ROM databases:
ROMARIN (WIPO),
DEMAS (DE),
US TRADEMARKS BIB,
US PATENTS & TRADEMARKS ASSIGN,
BENELUX TRADEMARKS,
TRACES,
USAMARK,
EUROM (from 2005 accessible via the website of OHIM)
TRADEMARKS OF RUSSIA
In-house online access is established to the commercial databases Questel-Orbit via the Internet connection. This database is charged on the bases of annual fee and on the bases of usage.
There is a great demand for the computerised trademark services.
The Estonian Patent Library has agreements with 32 trademark offices on exchange of trademark gazettes. At present the information concerning Estonian trademark on machine-readable carriers is not being forwarded to our exchange partners.
EPO:
Seminar on Intellectual Property Munich, EPO, 6-7.04 (2 participants)
PATLIB 2005 (3 participants) : library (3 participants)
EPIDOS/PATINNOVA 2005 Annual Conference (3 participants): library (3 participants)
ESPACE/MIMOSA seminar, Vienna, EPO, 16.-17.06 (1 participant)
M25-2005 Patent classification and documentation techniques and tools, The Hague, EPO, 27.-29.09 (1 participant)
M22-2005 Regional seminar: supplementary protection certificates including protection of biotechnological inventions, Warsaw, EPO, 6.-7.10 (1 participant)
Finantsaruannete koostamine rahvuslike ametite raamatupidajatele, Munich, EPO, 10.-11.10 (2 participants)
M24-2005 Design of Innovation Support Campaigns, Newport, EPO, 19.-21.10, (1 participant)
Developing the patent attorney profession in the EPO new member states, Prague, EPO, 6.-7.12 (2 participants)
OHIM
Classification and search according to the Vienna Classification, Tallinn, 26.-27.05 (20 participants)
A seminar “Industrial property protection in EU” in Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: library (3 participants)
TAIEX
Seminar on Arbitration, Athens 14-18.03 (2 participants)
Other:
Language courses
1. Advanced English language learning courses (27 participants)
2. French language learning courses (7 participants)
3. Finnish language learning cources (2 participants)
4. Advanced computer courses (3 participants)
Libraries related:
1. IV Nordic-Baltic Library Meeting “Research and Innovation: Nordic–Baltic Strategies for Library development” (1 participant)
2. Seminar on Information sciences 07.10.2005, Tallinn (1 participant)
3. Seminar “Digital library and it’s user” 20.10.2005, Tartu (1 participant)
4. In-house training „Quality Customer Service” (12 participant)
Customer training activities of the Estonian Patent Library in 2005.
In 2002, the Estonian Patent Library opened a special computerized public room for industrial property information training courses. Also IP information users can work online here individually.
In 2002 the Estonian Patent Library began with special training courses for entrepreneurs, named “Use of the industrial property information in the product development”, in 2004 the Estonian Patent Library started a training course on industrial design.
In 2005 2 training courses concerning IP information were carried out among Estonian Inventors Association, 12 training courses among entrepreneurs, specialists, teachers, representatives of pupil companies, librarians, 3 training courses among unemployed, 4 training courses among students. The subject matter of these courses is constantly revised and modified.
The aim of these training courses is to highlight the impact of the use of information concerning patents, trademarks and industrial designs and they are arranged in the library or in centres of enterpreneurship.