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In the year 2007, the total number of trademark applications (including national applications and international applications - Madrid System) was 5,816, which compared with the previous year 2006, when the total number of trademark applications was 5,5049, is an increase of 15.2%. This increase is due mostly to the growth of the foreign applications under Madrid System.
The number of the trademark applications filed under the national procedure was 1255 and compared to the previous year it is increase of 1.0%. In total number of filed applications 618 were filed by national applicants, an increase of 25.1%, compared to the previous year. The number of the foreign applications was 637, which is decrease of 15% compared with 2006. This proportion of filed applications is reflected in the decreased participation of the foreign applications from 60.3% in 2006 to 50,8%in 2007, while with the national ones there is an increased participation from 39,7% to 49,2%.
According to the International Classification of Products and Services, (Nice agreement) the situation with the received trademark applications by classes has changed significantly in comparison to last year. Thus, the majority of the applications in 2007 were class 05,35,30,29 and 16, while in 2006 the majority of the applications were for the classes 05,30,35,29 and 03of the Nice classification. Most of the application were received for class 05 (282 applications with 9.8% participation). In second place were application with reference to the class 35 (205 applications and participation of 7,1%) and in third place was class 30 (180 applications and participation of 6.3%). These first three were followed by the applications for the goods in the class 29 (166 applications and participation of 4.7%). This data indicate increased interest in protection of the trade marks in the pharmaceutical sector and other products for medical use of the class 5, due to the existence of the pharmaceutical industry in Republic of Macedonia. The interest was also high for the field of advertising, business management, administration of work and office maters of the class 35.It is worth noting the increase of the trademark application in the field of food staffs of plant origin, prepared for consummation or conservation, as well as auxiliaries intended for the improvement of the flavor of food of the class30. Among the received applications by classes in 2007 there is a tendency of growing dispersion of application of different classes i.e. apart from the mentioned five most common classes, there are also more than hundred application for six other classes.
In 2006, the number of trademark registrations was 1290 and in 2007, the total number of trademark registrations was 979 which was an decrease of 24.1% in the number of trademark registrations in the Office.
In 2007 76.1% registrations under the national procedure were registrations for foreign applications. In the structure of the foreign applications the US accounts for the biggest share of the registered trademarks before the Office with 206 or 21% of total number of registrations, followed by HR with 84 applications or 8.6%, RS with 74 applications or 7.6%, DE with 71 applications or 7.3%, JA with 37 applications or 3.8%, BG with 27 applications or 2.8%, of total number registered trade marks.
The internationally registered Macedonian trademarks within the framework of the Madrid System in 2007 compared to the previous year has dropped by 52.6%. In 2006 trough the national Office in WIPO, 19 trade marks were registered while in 2007 were internationally registered 9 trademarks.
In 2006 within the framework of the Madrid System 4561 international trademark applications were filed, of which 3.854 were new application and 707 were territorial extensions. Compared to 2006, the number of the applications under Madrid System increase by 19.8% and 42% in regard to the territorial extensions.
In 2007, 196 trademarks were renewed, 560 changes in the trademark registers were made, and 372 cancellations of registrations of the trademark were issued.
The Industrial Property Protection Office of the Republic of Macedonia used to issues the official gazette “Glasnik” in paper form. In 2007 this system was replaced by publication in CD-ROM format and on the Office Internet site. There are advantages of the new system, it is cheaper, there is no additional costs for publication of the color marks, it means as well reduction of the storage space and for the future it offers a better alternative for the publication of non-traditional marks.
The Gazette is issued every three months. This official gazette contains data concerning:
-Trademark applications
-Trademark registrations
-Trademark renewals
-Trademark assignments
-Change of data concerning trademark owners
- Change in the list of goods and services
-Registration of license agreements in respect of trademarks
-Cancellations of national trademarks
-Official decisions,
and information regarding other activities of the Office, in the country and abroad. There are very often commentaries of ongoing activities in protection of industrial property rights. The Office issues an Annual Report of its activities of the previous year. This Report contains basic data for trademarks.
The Industrial Property Protection Office of the Republic of Macedonia uses International Classification of Goods and Services for the purposes of the registration of Marks (Nice Classification/ version nine).
Bibliographic data of trademark applications and registered trademarks are stored in a database on magnetic disc and they are machine searchable.
WIPO Standard ST.60 is used for bibliographic data coding.
Trademark files are kept in paper form in the library, and they are updated continuously.
State Office of Industrial Property use computerized trademark search system. In 2007 were made 755 searches of the national and international (the WIPO ROMARIN web side is widely used for researches of the international trademark) data base.
- Administrative management systems:
IPAS Software
The 2007 was the fourth consecutive year since the implementation of the IPAS software in the Office and it was marked by a significant increase in productivity resulting in an equivalent decrease in the backlog of Trademarks.
The Office disposes of information relating to trademarks entered into the Office register.
The Library has a collection of relevant publications and periodicals, which are available to all interested persons at the Office library.
The Office sends trademark gazettes in CD-ROM form. The official gazettes, as well as the Annual Report are distributed to the following countries: AM, AL, AT, AZ, BA, BG, BY, CH, DE, EG, FR, GB, HU, IT, IL, JP, LV, LT, MD, PL, RO, RU, SI, SM, SE, SK, TR, UA, US, RS and WIPO, EIPO AND EPO. The Office receives gazettes and annual reports from the following countries: RO,RS,HR, MD,
In the year 2007, the educational and training activities of the employees of the Trademark Department was as follows:
Seminar:
In 2007 State Office of Industrial Property (SOIP) in cooperation with WIPO organized seminar “Strategic use of the Intellectual property “The participants from the offices of the Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Monte Negro and Turkey were invited.
Participation at WIPO Seminar in Slovenia” Strategic use of the Intellectual property “
Participation at WIPO Academy-Geneva/Munih
IPA program- Regional Industrial and Intellectual Property Rights Preparatory meeting with the EPO representative in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia