Where URLs are requested below, it is preferred that either URLs which are likely to remain stable over time (three years or more) are provided, or home (main) page URLs are provided with a short explanation of how to access the corresponding information.
The term "patent" covers utility models and Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs). Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in their Annual Technical Reports on Industrial Design Information Activities.
Application filings and grants in 2010:
129 patent applications filed direct with the State Patent Bureau of the Republic of Lithuania (SPB), from which 86,8 % applications originating in Lithuania (including: 3 PCT international applications; 1 application in accordance with EPC);
2 PCT international applications commenced the national phase;
92 national patent applications published;
84 Lithuanian patents granted;
941 European patents enforced in Lithuania (including 704 European patents in accordance with EPC).
Compared with 2009 the number of:
national filings have increased by 20,6 %;
filings originating in Lithuania have decreased by 0,7 %
Lithuanian grants were constant;
European patents enforced in Lithuania have decreased by 9,4 %.
Statistics of the year 2010 (national filings and PCT national phase entries, national patents granted on the basis of national filings and PCT national phase entries, national patent applications pending, national patents in force) is provided on SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?l=en&n=321).
The SPB official patent publications are:
Patent Applications (A documents);
Patent Specifications (B documents);
Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks.
The Official Bulletin contained announcements published in 2010:
BB1A Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 21 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FG9A Patents published in accordance with Article 22 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FD9A Patent Applications withdrawn accordance with Article 21 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MM9A Patents lapsed in accordance with Article 27 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PC9A Transfer of Patents in accordance with Article 31 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
QA9A Licensing in accordance with Article 37 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
QB9A Licensing in accordance with Articles 34-36, 38 and 39 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PD9A, TA9A, TC9A TH9A Changes in Patents published in accordance with Article 43 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
BB1A International Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 48 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
BB1D European Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 51 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FG9D European Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
BB4D European Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 59(2) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FG4D European Patents published in accordance with Article 59(3) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG9D Revocation of European Patent extension in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG4D Revocation of European Patents in accordance with Article 59(3) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PD9D, DC9D, TH9A Changes in European Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PC9D Transfer of Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
QB9D Licensing in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MF9D European Patents revoked in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MM9D Cancellation of European Patent extension in accordance with Article 58 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND9D Applications for Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 27(1) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND9D Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 27(1) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND1D Decisions not to grant Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 27(1) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
TH9D, TK9D Rectifications.
Sections of the Official Bulletin have been coded in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.17.
SPB Official Bulletin has been published in an electronic format and has been accessible on SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=245).
Patent Applications in paper form (A documents) and Patent Specifications (B documents) have been open for public inspection at Lithuanian Technical Library (LTL).
Scanned Patent Specifications (B documents) SPB have sent to ARCANUM INFORMATICS Ltd. for inclusion into EPO Bacon Numerical System (BNS) and Espacenet databases. Lithuanian Patent Applications (A documents) have been not available on EPO BNS and Espacenet databases.
Lithuanian B documents have been scanned by the SPB with EPO official tool epoScan in standardised exchange facsimile format (WIPO ST. 33).
Databases of Patents of the Republic of Lithuania and of European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania have been accessible on SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?l=en&n=333).
Lithuanian language invention abstracts of patent applications and patents have been published as presented by applicants.
English language abstracts to be published on EPO BNS and Espacenet databases have been translated by SPB examiners.
92 patent applications published were classified in accordance with eight edition of International Patent Classification (IPC) in 2010.
Internationally agreed Numbers for the Identification of Data (INID codes) relating to patents have been used in the Register, Official Bulletin, Patent Applications (A documents) and Patent Specifications (B documents).
The SPB Official Bulletin Sections have been coded in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.17.
At the end of the year, the stocks of LTB contained over 45,8 million patent documents.
LTL stocks have been updated with full text patent documents from countries and organizations (AM, BG, BY, CA, CH, CZ, DE, DK, EA, EP, FI, FR, GB, GE, HU, JP, KG, KZ, LT, LV, MD, RO, RU, TJ, UA, US, UZ, WO).
The SPB published on its website (http://www.vpb.lt/en/) the Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks and databases of Lithuanian Patents and European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania. SPB website Databases have been an exact copy of the data stored in the Common Software Databases. Common Software Databases contained bibliographic, legal status data, abstract data, national patent applications (A documents) and national patent specifications (B documents), translated claims of European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania included.
Industrial Property search and other services have been provided by Patent Information Centre of LTL (http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm).
Statistics of national patents has been also provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=321).
Lithuanian Patent Specifications (B documents) have been available on SPB website (www.vpb.gov.lt), EPO BNS and Espacenet databases.
Lithuanian Patent Applications (A documents) have been available on SPB website Database of the Patents of the Republic of Lithuania (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?p=238&l=en&n=246).
Bibliographic, legal status data (SPC data and data in accordance with EPC included) have been available also on EPIDOS/INPADOC databases.
Lithuanian Technical Library (LTL) offered for visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with a wide range of Lithuanian publications (SPB Official Bulletin, full text of patent specifications in paper and CD-ROM format, etc.), Official Gazettes, patent bibliography of foreign states and intergovernmental organisations on CD/DVD-ROMs, sets of communications and regulations in 2010.
The visitors of LTL had been consulted on the spot as well as by phone or e-mail and had an opportunity to order patent search.
Search for patents in the CD-ROM databases, Internet and other services have been provided by Patent Information Centre of Lithuanian Technical Library (http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm)
LTL website (http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm) provided scanned Lithuanian patent A and B documents.
It is not possible to file patent applications or any other document with the SPB electronically.
Legal acts have been provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?n=296&l=en).
SPB published on its website (http://www.vpb.lt/en/) the Official Gazette Inventions, Designs, Trademarks and databases of Lithuanian Patents and European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania.
Statistics of national patents has been provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=321).
The distribution of official patent publications of the SPB in foreign states and intergovernmental organisations on the basis of mutual exchange has been effected by LTL.
Bibliographic, legal status data, abstracts in Lithuanian and English of Lithuanian patent applications and patents, extracted from SPB Common Software Database, have been posted on EPO FTP sites prior to the actual publication date.
Scanned Patent Specifications (B documents) SPB have sent to ARCANUM INFORMATICS Ltd. for inclusion into EPO Bacon Numerical System (BNS) and Espacenet databases. Lithuanian Patent Applications (A documents) have been not available on EPO BNS and Espacenet databases.
The bibliographic, legal status data on Lithuanian Patent Applications, PCT Applications, Lithuanian Patents and European Patents have been supplied to EPO to be included into ACCESS-EPC, INPADOC PFS, INPADOC PRS and Espacenet. PCT Applications data have been also supplied to WIPO to be included into PATENTSCOPE® search service database.
Format in paper form has been used for exchange of priority documents and for filing of patent applications.
In year 2010 the SPB organized seminars, attended exhibitions and other events, namely:
In February 2010 the SPB organized a seminar “How to Protect Trademarks and Designs in the European Union” in the premises of the LTL. Branches of LTL in Kaunas, Klaipėda and Panevėžys had open days organized by PIC of the LTL, during which SPB’s specialists informed on possibilities how to protect marks and designs in the European Union.
On 26 April 2010, commemorating the World Intellectual Property day for the tenth time, a non-profit organization IPR-help of the Council of the European Union together with the SPB organized a seminar “How to Protect Intellectual Property and Feel Safe in EU and Global Markets” in the premises of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. The seminar was designated for developers and users of intellectual property objects, small and medium-size enterprises in .particular. At the same time an exhibition called “Protection of Intellectual Property after Restoration of Independence” was arranged, people were invited to an open day in the premises of the SPB. Later this exhibition was held at Vilnius Gediminas Technical .University (VGTU), Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and Klaipėda University and the branch of LTL in Kaunas. One more exhibition of the SPB and LTL was held at Šiauliai University.
In May 2010 the SPB attended an exhibition “Balttechnika 2010” and events of the Entrepreneurship week, which took place at the Lithuanian exhibition centre LITEXPO. PIC specialists represented at the stands of the SPB.
In September 2010 the SPB and WIPO organized a seminar “The Role of Patent Information and Use of Technologies in Promotion of Innovations” in Palanga. Representatives of PIC made two reports in this seminar.
In November 2010 the SPB and WIPO organized a regional training seminar for judges. Judges from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Poland attended the seminar.
Lithuanian Technical Library published 4 information publications “Protection of Industrial Property” in year 2010.
The SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/) provided information on legislation related to patents in 2010.
The Annual Report of the Office has been included on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=318).
SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=EN)contained patent related news.
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. |