Annual Technical Report 2003 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Czech Republic (SCIT/ATR/ID/2003/CZ)
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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
In 2003, 683 industrial design applications were filed, representing a decrease of 3,8 % in comparison with 2002 (710 applications). As of December 31, 2003, there were 357 pending applications. Most of them were filed in 2003 (only 10 applications were filed in 2002).
In 2003, there were on average about 7 industrial designs per application.
Most of the applications concerned packages and containers for transport (100), buildings units (53), means of transport or hoisting (45) and household goods (45).
There were 264 foreign applications in 2003 representing a decrease compared to 2002. The majority of foreign applications were from Germany (79) and the USA (35).
In 2003, 419 applications from domestic applicants were filed (423 in 2002).
In 2003, 661 industrial designs were registered (560 in 2002).
As of December 31, 2003, there were 4.626 valid industrial designs in the Czech Republic, 2.697 of which belong to domestic holders, 570 to those from the USA, 433 - Germany, 217 - Netherlands and 118 - France.
The average time of industrial design application procedure was 8 months in 2003.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes
The new Act No. 207/2000 Coll. on Industrial Designs came into force on October 1, 2000. This Act harmonizes the industrial design protection in the Czech Republic with the Directive 97/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 13, 1998 on the legal protection of designs.
The Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic (IPO CZ) carries out the substantive examination of industrial design applications. The subject of the application is not published during the examination procedure. Subjects of negatively settled applications are also never published (about 10% of cases).
Industrial design information is accessible in the public reading room and in the Official Bulletin. The Official Bulletin of the Industrial Property Office (Vestnik UPV) is issued monthly on paper carrier, in two parts. Part A contains Inventions, Utility models, Industrial designs and Topographies of semiconductor products. Part B contains Trademarks and Designations of origin and Geographical indications.
As from No. 1/2000, the Official Bulletin is available on the web site of the Industrial Property Office as an electronic book in PDF format.
The standard content of the chapter "Industrial Designs" in part A is the following:
- List of registered industrial designs (numerical series with classification symbols)
- Registered industrial designs arranged according to the Locarno Classification (announcement contents, representation and bibliographic data)
- List of owners of registered industrial designs provided with the number of the registration and its classification
- Official decisions and announcements
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of industrial design information according to the classification systems applied
The 8th edition of the Locarno Classification has been used since January 1, 2004.
- The new files are created according to each new edition; the files are not reclassified.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
The industrial design search file of the Office comprises the industrial design collection of the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia and official bulletins of foreign offices containing registered industrial designs.
The file of industrial designs of the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia comprises a backfile as from 1967. The information unit (the card) contains basic bibliographic data of the industrial design at the moment of decision concerning application and representation of the industrial design or its description, if any.
As regards classification systems, building the file arranged according to the national classification was terminated and the new version of the file based on the Locarno Classification was introduced.
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
The industrial design database containing image information is operational. This database is accessible online on the web site of the Office. It contains registered industrial designs from 1967 to 2003. The database contains bibliographic and figurative data of about 28.000 registered industrial designs.
The administrative system of industrial designs containing full range data as from 1986 is used to support the industrial design application procedure. It contains data elements concerning applications and individual steps of procedure including decisions. Data are continuously updated. The database contains the juridical status of individual registered industrial designs.
The database application is used for printouts for correspondence with applicants. This feature is available to examiners only.
Both the internal (SyPP) and for public use (ISDV) search systems are unique.
VI. Administration of industrial design 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)
An information centre operates during the working days. It provides the public general information concerning design protection.
In the public reading room industrial design collections are available. Personal assistance and consultations for beginners are carried out by the staff. Clients can order searches as a charged service.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
The Bulletin of the Office was distributed to 200 clients within the Czech Republic and 40 clients in foreign countries.
VIII. Matters concerning education and training including technical assistance to developing countries
Various courses and seminars were organized for the Czech Republic; groups and individual visitors from enterprises and schools were accepted.
In 2003, the two-year study course of industrial property rights was conducted within the Office's own educational facility - The Industrial Property Training Institute.
The Office presented its information activities and products at the following exhibitions and trade fairs:
- International Machinery Trade Fair in Brno, CZ
- International Fair of ICT INVEX in Brno, CZ
- IENA Exhibition of Inventions and Innovations in Nurnberg, DE
- EUROFORUM Exhibition of Inventions in Budapest, HU
- Exhibiton of Inventions in Geneva, CH
- "Innovation 2003" Exhibition in Prague, CZ
Office staff members participated in seminars and conferences organized by the EPO.
The Office co-operated with Regional Patent Information Centres (PATLIB) in information products providing training and education.
The Office issued the Industrial Property Journal every two months.
IX. Other relevant matters