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.
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants (registrations) with respect to the previous year:
Applications
2001 – 1023 (national 449)
2002 – 1018 (national 519)
2003 – 1095 (national 534)
2004 – 1011(national 498)
2005 - 1027(national 550 and 50 from foreign applicants in national order)
Registrations
2001 – 784 (national 232)
2002 – 877 (national 303)
2003 – 879 (national 372)
2004 – 1033 (national 510)
2005 – 885 (national 411 and 54 from foreign applicants in national order)
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year:
There are no particular areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year.
Publishing, including printing, copying techniques and electronic printing:
The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria publishes the registered national industrial designs on paper in the Official Bulletin monthly.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial designs:
The publication in the Official Bulletin comprises bibliographical data and the graphical presentations or coloured images of the registered industrial designs.
Mass storage media and microforms used:
The dossiers are on paper and are stored following the registration number or the application number for the refusals.
Databases and office automation:
The office automation, functioning as of 01.10.2001, is for administrative support, for searching industrial designs information. There are national and international (according to the Hague Agreement concerning Bulgaria) database with graphical presentations or coloured images. The database contains the bibliographic data, the legal status and correspondence, fees, forms, etc..
Functions of this Oracle Based “Industrial Design Information System” (IDIS), developed from outside company, are currently being updated.
Classification and reclassification activities; classification system used:
The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria uses the International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification) since 1968. All the documents are classified according to class and subclass of the Locarno Classification. In 1995 the card file was reclassified. Now the Office uses and classifies according to the 2003 Edition (8th) of the Classification.
Bibliographic data and processing for search purposes:
The classification is used for the novelty examination and for search purposes in the PC (IDIS - Industrial Designs Information System), paper or electronic (CD) files, for statistics and for searches in the Official gazettes.
The BG registration process includes a novelty search.
File building:
The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria maintains an Automation Database – IDIS, Register and four paper files (archives) of the industrial designs:
1. Automation Database – IDIS.
2. Dossiers of the registered designs arranged in numerical order according to the registration number.
3. Dossiers of the rejected design applications arranged in numerical order according to the application number.
4. The other paper card file contains the bibliographic data and the graphical presentation of all expired registered industrial designs. The file is arranged according to the classes and subclasses of the Locarno Classification.
Updating:
The updating of the files is regular depending on the number of registrations and rejections.
Storage, including mass storage media:
The storage is in boxes and storage closets.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file:
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file and is constituted from the following official bulletins:
WIPO “INTERNATIONAL DESIGNS BULLETIN" (WO);
“OFFICIAL GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE” (US);
“GESCHMACKSMUSTERBLATT” (DE);
"...И ПРОМЬIШЛЕННЬIЕ ОБРАЗЦЬI" (RU);
“BULLETIN OFFICIEL DE LA PROPRIÉTÉ
INDUSTRIELLE DESSINS ET MODÈLES” (FR), etc.
In-house systems (online/offline):
In the Bulgarian Patent Office there are computer aided possibilities for searching industrial designs information and correspondences. There are national and international (according to the Hague Agreement concerning Bulgaria) databases with graphical presentations and coloured images. For all purposes the computerized system is used therefore.
External databases:
There are Internet external databases available.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, administrative support, etc.):
There is a computerized system – IDIS (Industrial Designs Information System) for administrative support - register, legal status, fees and statistics in regular using.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used:
Hardware:
Server: HP K360 9000/800;
Workstations: Intel Pentium based PCs, about 60;
Software:
Server: UNIX 11.xx as OS, Oracle 8i as DBMS
Workstations: Windows’98 and Windows’XP as OS, MS Office as documents management, etc.;
Carriers used: CDs, DVDs.
The information services available to the public through the Patent Office are as follows:
1. Searches related to the legal status
2. Subject search
3. Numerical search
4. State of the art search
5. Searches in one or several classes
6. Searches on firm names
7. Combination of the above mentioned.
All the searches are carried in house and in the available collections of documents and official bulletins and paper cards.
The Central Patent Library provides for public access to the Official Bulletins from 32 countries, containing industrial design information.
The international and regional cooperation is in the form of exchange of official gazettes.
There is a collection of the “WIPO International Designs Bulletin” on CD-ROM.
Promotional activities:
1. Visit of the Chairman of the Intellectual Property Committee of the General Research Organization at the Bulgarian Patent Office (BPO)
2. Seminar on “Modern Information Technologies”, organized by EPO, BPO and UNWE, Sofia, February 2005
3. Visit of a delegation of the State Office for inventions and trademarks of Romania at the BPO
4. Celebration of the World Intellectual Property Day, April 26, 2005, Sofia and seminars
5. Seminar on industrial property, organized by BPO, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the European Commission in Brussels and its Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Office /TAIEX/, Sofia, June 2005
6. EPO Seminar: “Intellectual property as an economic asset”: key issues in valuation and exploitation”, Berlin, 30 June – 1 July 2005
7. Seminar on “Practical Problems of Intellectual Property in the Business Strategy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises”, organized by the BPO, the European Commission in Brussels and its Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Office /TAIEX/, Varna(BG), July 2005
8. Workshop on the project for building up a national network for cooperation and information exchange for the purposes of protecting intellectual property rights, Sofia, July 2005
9. Bulgarian Patent Office participated in the International Fair Plovdiv’2005
10. National Conference “The Intellectual Property: Factor for Economic Growth”, organized by UNWE, BPO and “Friedrich Ebert Foundation”, Ravda, October 2005
11. 4th Liaison meeting on the Community design between the OHIM and experts from National Offices, October 6 and 7, 2005 – 2 experts from the Industrial Design Department of the Bulgarian Patent Office.
12. Visit of a delegation from the Danish Patent and Trademarks Office
Training courses for national and foreign participants:
1. Training and refreshing courses for national patent attorneys;
2. Education of 1 expert from the Industrial Designs Department of the Bulgarian Patent Office on the field of Industrial Properties.
There are no other relevant matters to mention.