Annual Technical Report 2009 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Austria (CWS/ATR/ID/2009/AT)

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 expression "industrial designs" covers industrial designs and models. Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in this series of Annual Technical Reports.

I. Evolution of registration activities

Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants (registrations) with respect to the previous year

AT national design applications
0.716 in 2009 (-30% compared to 2008)
1.032 in 2008 (+ 1% compared to 2007)
1.021 in 2007 (- 22% compared to 2006)
1.309 in 2006 (-37% compared to 2005)
2.080 in 2005 (-14,7% compared to 2004)
2.439 in 2004 (-16,27% compared to 2003)
2.913 in 2003

AT national design registrations
0.885 in 2009 (-6% compared to 2008)
0.942 in 2008 (+ 12% compared to 2007)
0.837 in 2007 (- 34% compared to 2006)
1.272 in 2006 (-60% compared to 2005)
3.151 in 2005 (-16,8% compared to 2004)
3.787 in 2004 (-27,76% compared to 2003)
5.242 in 2003

Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year

Like the years before, application and registration activity in the design sector has slipped in 2009. The fall is due to the establishment of the Community Utility Model, which has created a second opportunity to apply for design protection for the territory of the Republic of Austria.

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to industrial designs

Homepage
http://www.patentamt.at

Statistics for patents, utility models, trade marks and designs
http://www.patentamt.at/Publikationen/

Statistics for 2009 are in the Patent Gazette "Patentblatt" April 2010
Link: http://www.patentamt.at/Media/PB2010004I.pdf

or by following this navigation path:
http://www.patentamt.at
erfindungsschutz
Publikationen
Austrian Patent Gazette
15.4.2010 Patentblatt April 2010 Teil I

II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes

Publishing, including printing, copying techniques and electronic printing

The bibliographic data and images of the registered designs are published in the Austrian Design Gazette once a month.

Since 2006 the gazette is published monthly on the homepage of the APO. Only few copies are produced on paper and sent to other offices according to the bilateral agreements of the exchange of publication between offices.

Navigation to the Austrian Design Gazettes:
http://www. patentamt.at
Industrial Designs
Publications

Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information

Design Gazette and in-house online database concerning designs.

Internet-Access to bibliographic data via two applications:
- free of charge access for search about application and registration number
- payed access for additional search parameters + access to all images and to register

Mass storage media and microforms used

The bibliographic data together with the classification symbols, a short description of the design are stored in the industrial design data base on the host system (Siemens BS2000) on magnetic discs. Backup on magnetic tapes.

The images are stored on a Windows-Server environment.

Databases and office automation

Industrial Design database on the host system, including registry.

Outgoing letters are prepared with MS-Word with automatic filling of bibliographic data. In and outgoing communication all on paper.

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online industrial design gazettes and to other sources of industrial design information, including download of bulk industrial design data

Navigation to the Austrian Design Gazettes:
http://www. patentamt.at
Industrial Designs
Publications

III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of industrial design information according to the classification systems applied

Classification and reclassification activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification), other classification (please indicate whether industrial designs are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)

Industrial design applications are classified according to the International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification).

The classification symbols are allotted by the applicant. The symbols are checked afterwards by the office and, if necessary, corrected.

Bibliographic data and processing

Bibliographic data elements and classification symbols are searchable. The images are displayed together with these data elements.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

File building

Only electronic search files are used. The files are built up according to the Locarno Classification Scheme and are regularly updated.

Bibliographic data elements and classification symbols are searchable. The images are displayed together with these data elements.

No anterirority search is done during the registration procedure.

Updating

Daily

Storage, including mass storage media

Industrial Design Database on host system, magnetic discs. Images on MS-Windows Servers, magnetic discs.

Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file

No data from other offices are part of the Austrian Design Database.

V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs

In-house systems (online/offline)

An online in-house system is installed using an internal industrial design data base. No external database is integrated.

External databases

External online access to the bibliographic data + images + registry information is available via password given by the Austrian Patent Office/Service and Information Center.

Free Online-access for search via application and registration number is available to bibliographic data + next renewal fee to pay.

Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)

The application and registration procedure, the examination for legality, the administration of the design register and the execution of the statistics are completely performed by an EDP management system (SIEMENS BS2000 Host System).

A project to allow for access to the images of industrial designs registered in Austria via the Internet-Information system of the office was started in 2000 and finalized in 2001. The images of industrial designs are displayed in addition to the bibliographic data. This service is liable to a fee.

An electronic registry for Appeals and Nullities including work-flow information is installed. The registry is accessible via the Intranet of the office.

Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used

Host system: Siemens BS2000
Terminal: Windows-PC, access to host via emulation and/or Browser
Network: Ethernet
Data carries: magnetic discs

VI. Administration of industrial design information products and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering designs, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts)

Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and industrial design information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)

The Austrian Patent Office offers free information services concerning legal questions, details of registration procedures, property rights or due fees, which can be submitted verbally (personally or by phone, e-mail to info@patentamt.at).

Legal and technical experts of the Austrian Patent Office can be consulted for legal and technical questions in connection with an intellectual property right, a pending application or for an intended application. The legal information service is available personally or by telephone or by e-mail to info@patentamt.at free of charge on all working days.

At the information centre in the Austrian Patent Office information is provided by telephone, e-mail or face-to-face about all national intellectual property applications and granted rights, about published European and international patent applications designated for Austria, as well as about registered international trademarks with effect for Austria, and about community trademarks of the European Union and about national and Community designs. This information covers all bibliographic data of the mentioned protection rights. This inquiry can also be made in the library by self-service (with support of the library personnel) on computer workstations.

The registry administrators of the Austrian Patent Office provide information concerning the current legal status of all effective patents, utility models, semiconductor rights, supplementary protection certificates, trademarks and designs. The officials in charge can be consulted at their consultation hours about specific applications, e.g. the correct trademark or design classification of a sign or product.


Information services of the Service and Information Center (serv.ip, former TRF)

The Service and Information Center of the Austrian Patent Office (serv.ip) started its activities in the fall of 1994 pursuant to the appropriate regulations of the amendment of the Patent Law of 1992 and the corresponding ordinance of 1994. The central purpose of the founding of this enterprise was to offer customer-oriented service and information products in the area of patents, trademarks and designs in a commercial manner. In the field of industrial designs, the following services are offered

The following services are offered:

- trademark similarity search
- a similarity record including colour images
- trademark monitoring
- information in written form
- uncertified register extracts
- express services concerning national and international trademark
similarity searches, register extracts as well as written information
- external on-line information
- translation of the list of goods and services from the German into
English
- express search in the patent field


Express service:
Registry extracts as well as written information are supplied within 24 hours after receipt of order by fax and by email upon request.

External on-line information:
Internet access to the database of the Austrian Patent Office for information concerning patents, utility models, designs and supplementary protection certificates is available. Registry status for industrial design is available online.

The homepage of the Austrian Patent Office contains general information as well as detailed references for applicants concerning forms for application and the current fees for all industrial property rights, namely patent, utility model, trademark, design, supplementary protection certificate as well as semiconductor protection. All bilbiographic data, and information about time limit and amount of the next renewal fee, are free of charge. Full access to the database of the Austrian Patent Office, which covers all property rights for Austria according to different search criteria, e.g. owner, inventor, international patent classification, application and register number, is made possible by using a password.

Address of the Austrian Homepage: http://www.patentamt.at

URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of industrial design applications

No electronic filing available for the time beeing.

Homepage
http://www.patentamt.at

Navigation:
http://www.patentamt.at
designschutz
Publikationen

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide information on business procedures such as: filing, publication, examination and registration procedures related to industrial designs; opposition and appeal procedures related to industrial designs; etc.

Navigation:
Homepage: http://www.patentamt.at (only avalibla in german)
designschutz

General information
-------------------
http://www.patentamt.at/Designschutz/Schutzrechte

Forms
-----

http://www.patentamt.at/Designschutz/Formulare_und_Gebuehren/

Our Information sheets and application forms are only available in german.

NATIONAL DESIGN

Information sheet
MU 402 1.7.2010 Informationsblatt Musteranmeldung
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/MU402.pdf


Design application form:
MU 1e 15.7.2010 Anmeldeformular Einzelmuster national
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/MU1e.pdf

MU 1s 15.7.2010 Anmeldeformular Sammelmuster national
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/MU1s.pdf

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., industrial design search service(s) and industrial design databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them

Navigation:
Homepage http://www.patentamt.at
Serv.ip

Services:
http://www.patentamt.at/Beratung/Servicestellen

Prices:
http://www.servip.at/Media/Preisliste.pdf
up from 1. August 2010: http://www.servip.at/Media/Preisliste_01Aug2010.pdf

Order via FAX
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/BestellungMarke.pdf

same forms for
- National Trademarks
- International Trademarks
- Design
- Utility Model
- Austrian Patent
- European Patent
- Protection Certificate

Opening hours, contact
http://www.patentamt.at/Beratung/Servicestellen/

Trademark and Design Services:
Ursula Hoefermayer, phone: + 43 1 534 24 721; fax: + 43 1 534 24 78
mailto:ursula.hoefermayer@patentamt.at

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information

International or regional cooperation in the exchange of industrial design information, e.g., in the form of official gazettes

The Austrian Design Gazette is mutually exchanged on a bilateral basis with almost all of the WIPO Member States.

VIII. Matters concerning education and training, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)

Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)

Please see Annual Technical Report 2009 on Patent Information Activities.

Training courses for national and foreign participants

Please see Annual Technical Report 2009 on Patent Information Activities.

Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)

Please see Annual Technical Report 2009 on Patent Information Activities.

IX.Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:

provide information on legislation related to industrial designs

Austrian Design Gazette and Austrian Trade Mark Gazette
contains bibliographic and register data for Austrian Designs / Trademarks.

Navigation to the online-version in .pdf-Format
Homepage: http://www.patentamt.at
Industrial Design / or Trademarks / or Protection of inventions
Publications


Austrian Patent Gazette

The Austrian Patent Gazette is published by the Austrian Patent Office on the 15th of each month.

Part 1 (I Teil) is the general part and contains decisions, notices, law, and the organsational changes of the Austrian Patent Office etc.


You can order previous issues at:
Copy Service
1st Floor, Room 142
Tel.: +43 (1) 534 24 738
fax: +43 (1) 534 24-737
e-mail: kopierstelle@patentamt.at

Navigation:
Homepage http://www.patentamt.at

contain the Annual Report of the Office

For further information about activities of the office, one may also refer to the Annual Report of the Austrian Patent Office, published in German and English on the Homepage of the office

2009: http://www.patentamt.at/Das_Oesterreichische_Patentamt/News/Geschaeftsbericht_2009/
2008: http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2008/frames.html
2007: http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2007/frames.html
2006: http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2006/frames.html
2005: http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2005

contain industrial design-related news regarding the Office

Austrian Design Gazette and Austrian Trade Mark Gazette
contains bibliographic and register data for Austrian Designs / Trademarks.

Navigation to the online-version in .pdf-Format
Homepage: http://www.patentamt.at
Industrial Design / or Trademarks / or Protection of inventions
Publications

Austrian Patent Gazette

The Austrian Patent Gazette is published by the Austrian Patent Office on the 15th of each month.

Part 1 (I Teil) is the general part and contains decisions, notices, law, and the organsational changes of the Austrian Patent Office etc.


You can order previous issues at:
Copy Service
1st Floor, Room 142
Tel.: +43 (1) 534 24 738
fax: +43 (1) 534 24-737
e-mail: kopierstelle@patentamt.at

X. Other relevant matters