Annual Technical Report 2008 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Bulgaria (SCIT/ATR/ID/2008/BG)
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
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)
2006 - 977 (national 418 and 44 from foreign applicants in national order)
2007 - 713 (national 356 and 15 from foreign applicants in national order)
2008 - 357 (national 270 and 10 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)
2006 - 944 (national 335 and 35 from foreign applicants in national order)
2007 - 680 (national 243 and 22 from foreign applicants in national order)
2008 - 387 (national 271 and 19 from foreign applicants in national order)
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
The comparison with 2007 shows a further drop in the number of industrial design applications owing to the decrease in the applications filed by both – Bulgarian and foreign applicants
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to industrial designs
http://www1.bpo.bg/images/stories/statistics/bpo_statistics06en.pdf
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 main source of information is the Official Gazette of Bulgarian Patent Office. During the year under revue 12 issues were printed on paper format. In all of them was published information about Industrial designs.
Deadline for implementation e-bulletin- spring 2008
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information
In 2008 in the Official Gazette of Bulgarian Patent Office were published 274 applications for registration of industrial designs; 342 announcements for registration of industrial designs. More than 104 entries in the State Industrial Designs Register were published - such as transfer of rights, changes in the name or address of owner, renewal of registration, information about licensing contracts, industrial designs as a Pledge objects, as a Security objects, etc.
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
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
BPO on-line gives current information regarding published, applied for and registered in national regulation rules industrial designs . You can also get information regarding initiated and finished procedures in department "Disputes" of Patent office. The information is extracted from internal Patent office data base and is updated in real time.After keying in the search criterias, complete bibliographic data for the applied for and registered industrial designs can be seen, as well as data for possibly registered license contracts and burdens (securities and included in the bankrupt mass) upon industrial designs.
Search is possible by different criteria – name of the product, to which the industrial design is applied, classification index, classified as per Lokarno Agreement for industrial designs, name of the applicant/ owner.
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)
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 last edition of the Classification.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
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);
OAMI- ONLINE- DATABASES
“GESCHMACKSMUSTERBLATT” (DE);
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
In-house systems (online/offline)
In the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria computer aided possibilities for searching industrial designs information and correspondences are used. 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.
BPO_online – e-service for public access to information for registered trademarks and industrial designs (http://www1.bpo.bg:8080/bpo_online/jsp/start.jsp)
External databases
There are Internet external databases available. RCD-online is used.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
IDIS (Industrial Design Information System) – Oracle based client-server information and administrative information system for processing of ID applications.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used
IDIS runs on K360 Server HP9000/800, the clients have access to the system from Windows PC based workstations through 100 Mbps LAN in framework of enterprise domain (MS Windows 2003 Server).
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)
The Central Patent Library provides for public access to the Official Bulletins from 32 countries, containing industrial design information.
In the Central Patent Library are collected Official publications from national offices and international organizations
On paper:
-International Designs Bulletin 1991-2001;
-FR-BOPI - Dessins et modeles;
- Annual reports of National offices and International organizations.
On CD-ROM:
WIPO designs bulletin 1999-2008;
ES-BOPI 2005-2008;
US Pat gazette 2002-2008;
RO-designs bulletin 2003-2008;
RU-Designs bulletin 2006-2008;
Official gazettes from 12 countries includes publications regarding applications and registrations of Industrial designs.
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. Novelty 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.
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of industrial design applications
Not available
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.
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=122
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
Not available
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 international and regional cooperation is in the form of exchange of official bulletins.
There is a collection of the “WIPO International Designs Bulletin” on CD-ROM.
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 pursuance of the second Agreement on Technical Cooperation between OHIM and the Bulgarian Patent Office for 2008 aimed at the promotion of the Community trademark and design systems, six seminars meant for different target groups (SMEs, customs, prosecution and police an others), was run by the Patent Office in Sofia and other cities in Bulgaria. In addition, in order to promote the activity, a special directory was created, as part of the Office’s the web site, whilst the information published therein being regularly updated.
Under the Agreement, a book of articles, studies and analysis concerning the Community Trade Mark and Design as well as Guidelines on the Community Trade Mark and Design and the fight against infringement of the exclusive right on marks meant for the representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the prosecution and the Customs Agency have been elaborated, published and provided to the relevant people and institutions.
In 2008 a range of seminars, round tables, meetings and other events were run by the Patent Office, single-handed or in cooperation with other national/international institutions, among which:
• Seminar with representatives of the court on the General issues and problems in IPRs enforcement;
• Roving seminar on the IP knowledge dissemination in the unuversities;
• Seminar on how to avoid the infringements and how to protect our own IPRs
• International Symposium on the Enforcement of the IPRs jointly organized with WIPO and USPTO
• Round table organised at the Industrial Centre in Varna on the IPRs enforcement;
• Presentation on the IP knowledge dissemination given within the European Entrepreneur Day;
• To promote the A Open Doors Day was organized at the Patent Office in Sofia and its regional branch in Varna – the Industrial Property Centre, in the framework of which information and practical consultations were provided to the visitors.
• Advertising of the Patent Office activity and industrial property system in different media – electronic, websites.
Training courses for national and foreign participants
In 2008, training in the field of the industrial property – Basic knowledge, was provided to representatives of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences;
Individual training of the staff of the university IPPoints on the use of the IP information and documentation, incl. electronic and internet data bases.
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
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=122
contain the Annual Report of the Office
http://www1.bpo.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=150
X. Other relevant matters
There are no other relevant matters to mention.