Annual Technical Report 2010 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by United States of America (CWS/ATR/ID/2010/US)
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
The USPTO issues design patents and does not register industrial designs. However, US design patent information is included in this report since WIPO has requested that “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
In calendar year (CY) 2010, the USPTO granted 22,799 design patents, down 1 percent from the number granted in CY 2009. The share of grants having foreign origin, as determined by the residence of the first-named inventor, was 44.7 percent for CY 2010, down substantially from 48.0 percent for CY 2009. The top patenting organizations receiving design patents in CY 2010 were Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (383 design patents), Procter + Gamble Company (228 design patents), Microsoft Corporation (214 design patents), Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. (158 design patents), Apple Computer (154 design patents), LG Electronics Inc. (149 design patents), Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (129 design patents), Foxsemicon Integrated Technology, Inc. (125 design patents), and Ford Motor Company (118 design patents).
There were 29,059 design patent applications filed at the USPTO in CY 2010, up 13 percent from the number filed in CY 2009. The CY 2010 share of applications having foreign origin, as determined by the residence of the first-named inventor, is 42.5 percent, down slightly from 42.7 percent for CY 2009.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
Among the highly active design patent areas for calendar year (CY) 2010, the number of design patent grants in ‘Animal Husbandry’ increased by 57 percent, ‘Medical and Laboratory Equipment’ increased by 28 percent, ‘Arms, Pyrotechnics, Hunting and Fishing Equipment’ increased by 17 percent, ‘Equipment for Preparing or Serving Food or Drink Not Elsewhere Specified’ increased by 16 percent, ‘Travel Goods and Personal Belongings’ increased by 14 percent, ‘Cosmetic Products and Toilet Articles’ increased by 14 percent, and ‘Building Units and Construction Elements’ increased by 13 percent.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to industrial designs
General statistics relating to design patents may be accessed from the following USPTO Web Site pages:
General calendar year design patent statistics reports can be accessed from the following URL:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/reports.htm
General fiscal year design patent statistics and USPTO workload statistics can be accessed from the text and workload tables contained in annual USPTO Performance and Accountability Reports, which may be accessed from the following URL:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/annual/index.html.
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 USPTO has made a business decision to emphasize online ordering and delivery of information products and services without abandoning the traditional delivery methods that include: paper copies, fulfilling fax and telephone requests, maintaining on campus search facilities, supporting the nationwide network of Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs), and providing information to private companies that are value-added resellers reaching thousands of their own customers.
The USPTO is automatically loading electronic images of the Pre-Grant Publication Notifications and Patent Grant Issue Notifications into the Image File Wrapper. In addition, as these Notifications are outgoing correspondence, the automatic electronic mail notification exists if the customer has elected to participate in the electronic notification program. The office continues to mail conventional paper copies as well.
For its image products of issued Plant Patents, the USPTO has begun the creation and storage of electronic images of the issued plant patent drawings in color on DVD.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information
There are no new developments to report for calendar year 2010.
Mass storage media and microforms used
In 1998, USPTO established an Internet database with access to the full-text and images of patents from 1976 forward, consisting of two terabytes of full-page images and 120GB of searchable full-text. In 2000, USPTO acquired an additional 2 terabytes of storage and added images of all US patents from 1790 through 1975. Presently, almost four terabytes of full-page image data for all patents from 1790 to the present is stored on these devices at USPTO and accessible from the Internet, along with 200GB of patent numbers and current US classifications for all patents from 1790 through 1975, as well as searchable full-text for all patents from 1976 to the present. In addition, 4.5 terabytes of storage have been deployed for patent pre-grant data (PGPub). The PGPub storage is needed to meet legislative mandates issued in 1998, in the American Inventor Protection Act (AIPA), which requires the timely granting of patents and the early publication of applications.
Databases and office automation
Each year the USPTO produces over 200 optical disc masters in the Cassis and USA product lines, containing a wide variety of patent and trademark text and image information. Cassis includes four patent text products, as well as two trademark text products and USA includes two patent image products and one trademark image product. Over 80,000 discs per year are sold to the public or distributed at no charge to the USPTO search facility, PTDLs, the Federal Depository Libraries, and Intellectual Property Offices (IPOs) around the world.
Bulk data products consisting of TIFF image data and XML files are also produced for exchange with other IPOs and for dissemination to commercial customers. The USPTO's Electronic Information Products Division (EIPD) oversees the creation and distribution of over 250 data files each week. These data files are provided via internet file transfer and Digital Linear Tape to approximately 50 external customers worldwide.
Some Cassis products also provide a standalone search capability for use on individual workstations. It is possible to search exclusively in the design patents by selecting designs as the document type for the search tool.
EAST and WEST search clients provide access to text information available back to 1920. Images of all USPTO Design Patents are available in either EAST or WEST with access through domestic and/or international classification assignments.
Search Clients
Design examiners have access to the same two search clients used by utility examiners, both of which provide text and image search and display capabilities. One is a browser-based client called WEST (Web-based Examiner Search Tool); the other is a coded client called EAST (Examiner Automated Search Tool). WEST is designed for ease of use and rapid deployment of new functionality. EAST has a more complex interface, designed for greater user customization, more rapid retrieval of images, and greater use of the keyboard. Through these search clients, all USPTO patent examiners have access to full U.S. patent images from 1790 and full U.S. patent text search from 1920. The 1920-1970 segment of the U.S. database is the U.S. Patents OCR database. Access to OCR text for the segment of U.S. Patents covering the period from 1790 to 1919 has not been currently planned.
The full text search databases for US Patents and Published Applications migrated to using the International Common Element (ICE) Red Book for Patent Grant Data/XML and Patent Application Data/XML publication format as the input source content in 2006.
In 2008, implementation of the Middle Tier Phase 3 project was completed providing a multi-tiered application to improve the scalability and the performance of the BRS search system. Phase 3 enables data to be distributed across servers for better process management and system utilization. An addition of a new Superdome server also increases the performance to support the demands of more users and data
Derwent XML implementation Phase 1 was completed in 2008. This included International Patent Classification Reform (IPCR) data for the Derwent abstracts, and involved the change over from subscriber format to full XML, data load and client display changes to EAST and WEST.
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)
All design patents that issued between 1970-1984 and from 1997 onward include both a US Patent Classification designation and a Locarno International Classification designation. The EAST and WEST search systems available within the USPTO and at selected Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries provide the capability for searching for US design patent documents issued from 1997 onward with either a US or a Locarno classification designation.
The USPTO maintains a concordance between the United States Patent Classification System and the Locarno International Classification System, 9th edition. This concordance is updated to reflect new subclasses established in the design patent search file as part of the reclassification of US design patent documents. The USPC Index is also updated to reflect new subclasses established as part of the reclassification of US design patent documents.
Formal definitions have been published for all mainline subclasses and will be published for any newly established subclasses in design classes. The purpose of formal definitions is to clarify the type and scope of subject matter contained in a class or subclass. Formal definitions may include search notes that aid in locating additional areas in the USPC system pertinent to specific subject matter. Classification definitions are available at the URL below:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/def/index.htm
Further information about the use of the US Patent Classification System is available at:
http://www.uspto.gov/main/patents.htm
Bibliographic data and processing
Currently, USPTO provides full text search of US patents back to 1970. Additionally, patent search capabilities provide text search of US Patent Applications (PGPub), US Patents, JPO and EPO abstracts, Derwent World Patent Index database, IBM’s Technical Disclosure Bulletins, and OCR text of US Patents issued between 1920 and 1971. For the OCR file, examiners identify relevant documents by text searching the OCR file and use the document images to determine applicability to applications under review.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
File building
By the end of calendar year 2008, the total number of US Design Patents increased by 23,702 for a total of 626,310 documents. Over 400 design patent documents were issued each week and added to the search file.
OCR File
Using Optical Character Recognition, the USPTO has captured the text of all U.S. patents back to 1790, which is approximately 3.9 million additional documents. This text has not been perfected and contains mistakes in reading letters, and does not associate the data with the fields in the search system. It is being characterized as the “dirty OCR data.” The dirty OCR’ed text of the U.S. patent backfile was provided to the Computer Search System (CSS) project and loaded into the EAST and WEST search systems in 2000-2001. Initial examiner access to the OCR backfile was provided via the WEST (Web-based Examiner Search Tool) interface in October 2001; it was available in EAST (Examiner’s Automated Search Tool) in January 2002. In FY 2002, the USPTO added “clean” bibliographic data to the backfile. The OCR patent back file will be made available for exchange with the USPTO’s International partners and for sale to commercial customers.
NPL
Development of a database of examiner-identified NPL continued using DataStar’s PrivateStar platform. STIC has named the multi-disciplined database E2D2 (Examiner’s Electronic Digest Database). The database currently contains NPL on business methods, telecommunications, designs and nanotechnology. Each document in the database has been assigned an EPO XP number, to facilitate potential inclusion in the EPO's NPL database. The types of documents submitted by examiners include journal articles, portions of books, documents from the Internet, advertisements, press releases, and standards. The database has been available to examiners since 2002.
USPTO examiners have desktop access to over 21,762 journals in electronic format as well as 41,418 thousand electronic books.
In 2001, registered industrial design images of CD-ROM from the International Bureau and the Japanese Patent Office became available for access by design patent examiners.
Updating
Concurrent with the publication of each new Design Patent in the Official Gazette, copies are added to the electronic search files.
Also, see File Building, above.
Storage, including mass storage media
In FY 1997 and FY 1998, the USPTO installed 42 Terabytes (TB) of Redundant Arrays of Independent Disk (RAID) magnetic disk storage to process patent, trademark, and other business data electronically. From FY 1999 through FY 2001 additional capacity was acquired that doubled the amount of online magnetic storage available. The USPTO continued its partnership with EMC Corporation for server attached and Storage Area Network (SAN) storage devices.
At the end of FY 2004, the USPTO acquired over 400 TB of raw disk capacity. Managing this storage required continued vendor support, and implementation of storage management tools. In FY 2004 and FY 2005 the USPTO extended the SAN to support the agency move to Carlyle and to enhance disaster recovery capabilities. In FY 2006 the USPTO made a significant investment in NAS storage from the vendor NetApp by acquiring 400TB of raw disk capacity, followed by additional storage acquired for Disaster Recovery in FY07. The USPTO now has over 1.2 Petabytes of disk storage enabling the processing of all business areas needs, both in Carlyle and the remote Disaster Recovery site.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
The USPTO’s Facility Operations and Production Services Division (FOPSD) staff are responsible for all text and image data load processes and maintenance of both domestic and foreign patent data. FOPSD staff perform the data loading and maintenance of both text and image data for the following domestic databases: Patent Image Retrieval System (PIRS), Patent Images on the Web (PIW), Application Image Retrieval System (AIRS), Application Images on the Web (AIW), Bibliographic Retrieval Service (BRS) Patent Grant and Application Text Database, Publication Site for Issued and Published Sequences (PSIPS), BRS Keyword Database Update, Automated Biotechnology Search System (ABSS), CD-Rom Reference Library System, Early Data Capture Unpublished Text and Image Retrieval System, and the Trademark Image Capture and Retrieval System and the following foreign databases: Derwent WPI Data Load, Foreign Image Data Load (EPO/JPO Full Image Data, DOCDB, ECLA, JPO FI-Data File, Korean, Canadian Mimosa and Australian Mimosa).
Official Design Gazette publications of registrations from 59 countries and a Design Collection of Non-Patent Literature (NPL) under the 1925 Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs are available to patent examiners. The documents are located in the Foreign Patent and Scientific Literature Branch (FPSLB) which is a branch of the Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC) at the USPTO.
The collection of Design NPL consists of commercial publications, catalogs, magazines, advertising fliers, technical publications and other information pertinent to the 33 classes for industrial designs in the United States Patent Classification system. Additionally, the Scientific and Technical Information Center provides complete library services that include links to libraries nation-wide, literature acquisition as requested, and cataloging of literature received. The literature in the collection can be searched via an on-line catalog maintained by the STIC.
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
In-house systems (online/offline)
Design examiners at the USPTO have the same search tools as utility examiners. The International Patent Classification field that is part of the text search system can also be used to search Locarno classifications for industrial design patents.
In October 2000, the patent database on the Web was expanded to include additional U.S. patent image data back to 1790 and other ancillary documents. The patent image data can be accessed by a class/subclass search, a patent or publication number search. In FY 2001, the USPTO began electronically publishing Pre-Grant Publication (PGPub) of patent applications. Biosequence repository data was made available in FY 2002. In FY 2003, assignment data was added to the Web site.
The Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system was deployed in 1998 and then was upgraded in 2003 to include the listing of documents from the Image File Wrapper (IFW) database. PAIR displays a subset of data maintained in the internal Patent Application Location and Monitoring (PALM) and IFW systems to Internet users via the USPTO web site. Users can view and download design patent data in both PDF and XML formats.
The USPTO Public PAIR system is available online at:
(http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal/pair)
The USPTO Private PAIR system is available online at: (http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal/pair)
External databases
The STIC performs searches for the design examiners on commercial online databases when requested. They also search on the Internet for resources that are appropriate for design examiners.
External databases are primarily accessed using software such as STN Express or DialogWeb loaded on PTONet. Examiners also use secure communications and servers to search these services via the Internet. VPNs with STN and Dialog allow for fast, secure searching. Examiners establish connections to the external databases through sessions that are set up after logging into the PTO firewall. The USPTO’s Internet access line bandwidth operates on two full T-3 connections and two full OC-3 connections (a total of 390 Mbps).
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
Patent Application Locating and Monitoring System (PALM)
PALM continues to constitute the backbone for management information throughout the USPTO. PALM additionally tracks examiner and other employee production, case history and bibliographic data. Via PALM reports and ad-hoc reports, PALM data is used to manage and track the USPTO’s pending applications. Throughout 2007, the main emphasis was on making changes to provide services to other projects such as PFW, PAIR and the e-Office Action Pilot.
PALM on PTOnet
All managers, Patent examiners and support staff have been provided access to the current PALM System on their desktop PC via barcode readers and a web browser interface. Efforts at making more PALM interfaces web-browser-based have improved efficiency and increased case tracking accuracy.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used
PTOnet has an architecture consisting of a campus-wide Gigabit Ethernet switched backbone with Telecommunications Room switches providing switched Ethernet connection to individual workstations. Currently, PTOnet users have dedicated 100 Mbps switched Ethernet connections.
PTOnet
Since desktop applications require increasingly more network bandwidth (through the backbone server attachments), in 2010 PTOnet will be upgraded to keep ahead of the requirements. PTOnet users will have dedicated 1000 Mbps connections; industry analysis indicates this will be more than sufficient for any forecast client application.
PTOnet provides examiners and other staff with access to the Internet through dual-redundant firewalls. Access zones implemented via firewalls and proxy servers have been implemented to provide a limited amount of controlled access to PTOnet resources for external users. Additional external access capabilities are being developed through the implementation of a variety of access control mechanisms including digital certificate-based authentication supported by a full Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
Access to external databases
Examiners establish secure connections to the external databases via site to site Internet VPNs and secure Web Browser connections. The USPTO’s Internet access line bandwidth has been upgraded to two full T-3 connections and two full OC-3 connections (a total of 390 Mbps).
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)
Planning, administration, automation, security
These functions are provided by the Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC).
Collection management, preservation
The Scientific Technical Information Center (STIC) processes all incoming foreign patent documents and journals provided in various media and disseminates the information to various business areas for retrieval.
Collections consist of print monograph and serial titles and millions of foreign patent documents in print and micro formats. Those portions of the collection maintained in Main STIC are open to the public. In accordance with the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), STIC meets minimum documentation requirements for foreign patent documents and non-patent literature and makes these documents available to the public.
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)
Patent and Trademark application status information are both available from the USPTO Web site. Both of these databases are searchable and are updated on a daily basis.
In November 1995, the USPTO began providing access to patent grant bibliographic information and abstract text on its Web site. This raw data is available for direct download with updates occurring each Tuesday issue date.
In March 2001, the USPTO began providing access to patent application bibliographic information and abstract text on its Web site. This raw data is available for direct download with updates occurring each Thursday publication date.
In November 1998, the USPTO began providing access to the searchable, full text of US patents granted from January 1976 to the present. Updates occur each Tuesday issue date.
In March 2001, the USPTO began providing access to the searchable, full text of US published patent applications from March 15, 2001 to the present. Updates occur each Thursday publication date.
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of industrial design applications
In March 2006, the USPTO launched a new and improved patent application electronic filing system, EFS-Web. Applicants can use EFS-Web to file design patent applications and pay fees online. EFS-Web provides an electronic Acknowledgement Receipt immediately at time of submission. EFS-Web is available 24/7 at https://sportal.uspto.gov/efs.
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.
The USPTO provides online help material for EFS-Web, including tools, tutorials, Computer Based Training (CBT), and FAQs, at http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/efs_help.html.
In addition, the Patent Electronic Business Center (EBC) provides technical assistance to patent applicants on how to use EFS-Web and other eCommerce systems.
Patent EBC hours and contact information are listed at http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/ebc_help.htm.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
Exchange of machine-readable information, e.g., data contained on CD-ROM or magnetic tape
There are no new developments to report for calendar year 2010.
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.)
In 2010 the Inventors Assistance Program (IAP) conducted a number of outreach efforts throughout the United States. The IAP works with the National Inventors Hall of Fame to promote innovation and education to the independent inventor community through regional and annual inventors’ conferences. The Office coordinates events with grassroots inventor organizations throughout the United States to facilitate and participate in outreach efforts. The IAP continued to establish relationships with science and engineering universities to educate students about the importance of intellectual property, the role the USPTO has in promoting the economy, and possibly encourage future careers at the USPTO. During 2010 the IAP visited universities and colleges providing lectures, seminars and various other programs for students, faculty and staff. The USPTO also conducts workshops and presentations to local schools in Virginia, Maryland and DC. The USPTO also conducted teleconferences with universities, colleges and Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries.
The USPTO’s IAP conducts on-line chats with the independent inventor community. Education about invention promotion firms and AIPA is an ongoing effort. Assistance is provided through accessibility to the complaint roster from the USPTO homepage, distribution of a scam brochure to the public, and access to a “scam line”. The IAP participated in twelve inventor conferences hosted by different inventor groups and in one Independent Inventor Conferences hosted by the USPTO during 2010.
The USPTO created “InventorsEye”, a bi-monthly publication. Each issue features information you can use, tips on working with the USPTO; events, organizations and meetings of interest to the community; issues that impact independent and small entity inventors; and stories about people who have become successful inventors. You can subscribe to this newsletter via our web site or e-mail to the independentinventor@uspto.gov .
Training courses for national and foreign participants
The USPTO requested public assistance from scientists and experts to provide Technical Training to patent examiners in order to update the examiners in technical developments, state-of-the-art, emerging trends, maturing technologies and recent innovations. In 2010, companies from the fields of Biotechnology, Chemical and Materials Engineering, Communications, Mechanical Engineering, Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce and other technology fields provided training.
The Office of Patent Training provided training to managers in 2010. The management training program is a blended approach to management training developed in coordination with the Technology Centers and the Enterprise Training Division (ETD) in the Office of Human Resources. It is a collaboration to provide new supervisory patent examiners (SPEs), as well as experienced SPEs, with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful supervisors.
OPT provided Examiner refresher training in 2010 to experienced examiners. This program was designed to enhance Examiners’ knowledge and skills in procedural and legal topics pertaining to patent examination.
The Patent Training Academy completed an Examiner Overview training course for four weeks to a group of 8 international examiners in July-August of 2010.
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) offers capacity building programs in the United States and around the world on IPR protection, enforcement, and capitalization. Capacity-building programs are offered to patent, trademark and copyright officials, judges, prosecutors, police, customs officials, foreign policy makers, examiners and rights owners. In delivering capacity building programs, the Academy works closely with other U.S. government agencies, trading partners, international organizations, and rights holders. Through GIPA programs, foreign officials learn about international IP obligations and norms, and are exposed to a U.S. model of protecting and enforcing IPR and discussion of IP issues in a collaborative learning environment. In 2010, the GIPA provided training to more than 4,500 officials from 122 countries on a variety of topics, including IP protection and enforcement, and technology transfer.
In 2010, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) continued to develop and produce GIPA’s new Distance Learning Modules, a new method for delivering IP education, which provide presentations addressing the basics of trademarks, geographical indications, patents, copyright, enforcement and trade issues, as well as information on international standards and the U.S. experience. Upcoming modules will include exclusive rights in copyright, exceptions and limitations in copyright, intellectual property enforcement under the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), industrial designs for patents, nontraditional trademarks, IP and Green Technology, and IP Intelligence for Small and Medium Enterprises. The modules are available online in a video presentation and an accompanying PowerPoint presentation on each topic. The current Distance Learning Modules are also accessible in a number of foreign languages, including Arabic, French, Russian, and Spanish.
The USPTO also continued its work under a MOU with ROSPATENT to cooperate in capacity building activities, work sharing and public awareness programs in Russia. Specific activities as part of a FY2010 action plan on bilateral cooperation included a multi-city IP awareness program in Russia, Roundtables on Appellate Practice and Design Patents at ROSPATENT, and Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) training program at the USPTO.
In the area of enforcement, USPTO continued to boost enforcement capacity globally by holding customs and enforcement workshops and capacity-building programs in a number of countries and regions, including the Balkans, East Africa, Colombia, Brazil, Slovenia, Cambodia, and Senegal. These programs targeted judges, prosecutors, and other enforcement officials. There was an intense focus on working with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). USPTO partnered with ASEAN on a sub-regional border enforcement program in Brunei, a seminar/tour in the US on innovation and protection/enforcement of IP, a criminal enforcement program in Cambodia, and other sessions on digital piracy, IP management and commercialization, and judicial and prosecutorial education. In addition, the Enforcement Team emphasized the importance of combating counterfeits, particularly for public health and safety reasons, through specialized programs in Tanzania, India, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Enforcement Team also ramped up its efforts in fighting the growing problem of digital piracy by coordinating and participating in focused programs in Ukraine and Estonia.
In Latin America, the Latin American Copyright Legal and Policy Seminar, which was held in the Global Intellectual Property Academy in July 2010, brought together sixteen senior and mid-level government officials from the eight Latin American countries with which the United States has concluded Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) during the past six years: the six DR-CAFTA countries (Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica), as well as Chile and Peru. By special arrangement, officials from Mexico also attended. The program highlighted the enhanced standards of copyright protection and enforcement contained in the FTAs, including those related to technological protection measures and Internet Service Provider liability. It also featured presentations by representatives of the major US-based copyright industries (music, business and entertainment software, film, and publishing) on current enforcement challenges and emerging business models in Latin America. One participant from Mexico described the program as one of the best she had ever attended. Another participant from El Salvador noted that he would be using the training materials from the program for a series of lectures on “IP in the Context of International Agreements” for prosecutors and judges in El Salvador.
In the Middle East/North Africa region, the USPTO conducted a patent and trademark examination program in Oman at the IP office in the fall of 2010. About thirty local practitioners and others members of the IP community participated.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the USPTO provided dual training courses on trademark examination for the members of Africa Regional Intellectual Property Office (ARIPO) and an advanced patent examination for Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) in May 2010. In conjunction with the dual programs, the USPTO and KIPI co-organized a one-day seminar on IP for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for more than one hundred attendees. The USPTO also co-organized a program on IP management and technology commercialization for officials and university administrators from countries in the South Africa Development Community (SADC) in South Africa in September 2010. In conjunction with this program, the USPTO and the Public Intellectual Property Resources in Agriculture (PIPRA), a non profit organization connected to the University of California, at Davis, organized two IP seminars for South Africa universities and SMEs. About 160 people attended the two programs. To promote plant variety protection and the accession to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), the USPTO and the UPOV Office co-sponsored two regional plant variety protection programs, one in Tanzania for ARIPO members and the other in Cameroon for OAPI members. The programs were attended by high level officials up to the ministerial levels.
In Russia, the USPTO partnered with the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation to conduct a conference in Irktusk (July 12, 2010) “International Trends on Patent and Trademark Cases,” and a roundtable in Moscow (July 14, 2010) “Roundtable for Russian Judiciary on Adjudicating IP Cases.” The Honorable Judge Randall Rader, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, participated and presented in both programs. In total, more than sixty Russian judges from Irkutsk, Siberia and Moscow participated. In October 2010, the USPTO partnered with the United Nations Economic Council for Europe (UNECE) and the non-profit partnership “The All-Russian Union of Business Associations (OPORA)” to conduct a three-day Sub-Regional Workshop on IPR Enforcement and IPR Management and Innovation. This IPR Enforcement and Commercialization workshop was designed to increase capacity to promote IPR protection and counter the growing threat of trade in counterfeit goods in Russia and the region. Ninety-seven participants attended this program.
In the area of enforcement, in Russia, the USPTO organized and participated in the following programs in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010: 1) in March, the USPTO and the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg partnered with the General Prosecution Office, Investigational Committee of the Prosecution, Investigational Committee of the Prosecution of St. Petersburg, and the Internal Affairs Directorate of St. Petersburg to organize and conduct a 2-day Consul General’s IPR Roundtable to focus on international cooperation for IPR enforcement and best practices for standardizing investigative operating procedures for IP crimes; 2) also in March, the USPTO partnered with the Russian Federal Service on Roundtable on Protecting Intellectual Property at the Border with Russia Federal Customs Service, in Moscow; 3) in September 2010, the USPTO partnered with the Russian Federal Customs Service to conduct Roundtable on Border Enforcement of IPR: Focus on Russian Far East in Blagoveschensk. USPTO also organized and conducted a seminar in FY 2010 to brief more than 66 AmCham members and U.S. rightholders on outcomes of the Study Tour of the United States by Russian customs officials, which was organized by the USPTO in September 2009.
In Ukraine, the USPTO staff participated in the United Nations Economic Council for Europe (UNECE) International Conference “From Applied Research to Entrepreneurship: Promoting Innovation-Driven Start-Ups and Academic Spin-Offs” and Seminar “Intellectual Property Management at Public Research Organizations” held at Kyiv in November 2010.
In the ASEAN Region, the USPTO, in cooperation with the ASEAN Secretariat, conducted several ASEAN regional (not including Myanmar) and sub-regional programs on IP protection, utilization and enforcement. A three-day Sub-regional Workshop on IP Border Enforcement program was organized for Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore in Brunei in March 2010. Approximately 120 customs and border officials, law enforcement officials and investigators, and prosecutors attended this program, with a commitment to greater transnational border cooperation in combating trade in counterfeit and illicit goods. In May 2010, the USPTO organized a three-day Advanced Workshop for Law Enforcement Investigators and Public Prosecutors on Criminal Enforcement of IPR in Phnom Penh. Approximately sixty public prosecutors and law enforcement officials attended this program, with a commitment to work more closely in investigating and confronting IP crime in the ASEAN region. The USPTO also held a Seminar on Administrative Enforcement, Civil Adjudication, and the Mediation and Arbitration of IPR Disputes in Phnom Penh on July 20 - 23, 2010. Approximately fifty judges from the region attended and participated in this program, with a general recognition that the judiciary plays an increasingly important role in an efficient, accessible, and effective enforcement system when dealing with IP dispute resolution and litigation. In April 2010, the USPTO cooperated with the European Patent Office to organize a four-day Seminar on Patent Work-sharing and ASPEC (ASEAN Patent Examination Cooperation) Implementation in Manila. During this seminar, the patent leaders of ASEAN IP offices discussed among themselves and with an expert team on regional work-sharing possibilities and strategies to reduce workload in the areas of patent search and examination. A Seminar and Practical Visit on IPR Protection and Innovation was held in the United States on June 21 – July 2. This program provided opportunities for seventeen ASEAN IP Office leaders to visit several U.S. innovative and creative organizations and meet with the U.S. stakeholders in four States. In cooperation with the Malaysia IP Office, the USPTO organized a three-day Workshop on IP Management and Technology Commercialization in August 2010 in Kuala Lumpur. About thirty representatives from universities, national laboratories, and IP offices of ASEAN participated. After the program, the participants provided very positive feedback and requested further training on IP management and Technology commercialization.
In India, a workshop on IP Protection and Management Issues was help in Ghaziabad in February 2010. The program included discussions on US Patent Practice and Procedure, Tech Transfer and Litigation, as well as US Trademark and Copyright Issues. Speakers from the USPTO and NIH participated in the technical sessions. About seventy Tech Transfer Experts and Scientists from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology participated. Also, a two-day program at the Delhi Patent Office to exchange best practices in the examination of pharmaceutical patent applications was conducted in April 2010. Three supervisory Patent Examiners from the USPTO traveled to India to speak at the program. About thirty patent office officials working in the pharmaceutical arts from four patent offices including Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai participated in the program. In addition, in April, a two-day program was held at the Mumbai Patent Office to exchange best practices in the area of Biotech patent applications for eighteen patent office officials working in the biotech arts from four patent offices including Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. Further, in October 2010, a two-day workshop on ‘Recent Trends in IP Practice and Management’ was organized in Lucknow, India, in collaboration with Central Drug and Research Institute (CDRI), which is one of the premier labs under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). About 120 scientists and academicians participated in the workshop. Also, in October, an interactive discussion on best practices in the area of patent examination and prosecution was held in Delhi for twenty-five patent examiners from the Indian IP Office.
In China, the USPTO conducted an Industry Roundtable on Operation of the New Patent Law in Beijing on September 13, 2010. In July 2010, the USPTO organized a five-day Customs IPR Border Enforcement Program in China, Mongolia, and Russia.
Other technical assistance activities of note include an Industrial Design program conducted during 2010 in which more than 20 officials participated from around the world. Also, in November 2010 an international training program on the Patent Prosecution Highway was delivered to about 30 officials from various IP offices interested in patent worksharing programs. In February 2010, the USPTO held a week-long Advanced Patent Program in our Global IP Academy all in Arabic, for Arabic-speaking officials from the Middle East/North Africa region. In July 2010, USPTO held an IPR Seminar in Lebanon for a group of about 130 officials and private sector participants, and conducted meetings with government officials in different agencies to better understand the government’s IPR technical assistance needs. The same month, USPTO officials also conducted meetings with Algerian government officials in different agencies to better understand their technical assistance needs. Finally, in May 2010, USPTO conducted a three-day Judicial Workshop on IPR for approximately 20 judicial officials from the region.
IX.Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
See http://www.uspto.gov