SCIT.ATR.PI.2002.UA

Annual Technical Report 2002 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Ukraine (SCIT/ATR/PI/2002/UA)

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The term "patent" covers utility models and Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs). Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in their Annual Technical Reports on Industrial Design Information Activities.

I. Evolution of patent activities

Changes experienced in terms of application filing and grants with respect to the previous year:
Inventions
Applications filed:
in 2001 – 8813, in 2002 – 10188, i.e. 16% more than the previous year.
Patents issued:
in 2001 – 8647, in 2002 – 9291, 7% increase.

Utility models
Applications filed:
in 2001 – 434, in 2002 – 623, 43% increase.
Patents issued:
in 2001 – 344, in 2002 – 410, 19% more with respect to the previous year.

Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year: class A61 – “Medical or veterinary science; hygiene” (19% applications filed), class G01 – “Measuring, testing” (7%), class A01 – “Agriculture” (3,5%).

II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information

Main publications of the State Department of Intellectual Property (hereinafter referred to as State Department) concerning inventions and utility models: normative documents, “Promyslova Vlasnist” (“Industrial Property”) official gazette and Ukrainian patent descriptions.
Beginning from issue No.10 of 2002, the official gazette “Promyslova Vlasnist” is published in two books: Book 1 “Inventions, Utility Models, Topographies of Integrated Circuits” and Book 2 “Industrial Designs, Marks for Goods and Services, Qualified Appellations of Origin of Goods”. During 2002 9617 Ukrainian patent descriptions were published.
In every “Promyslova Vlasnist” gazette current systematic and numerical indexes of pending applications for inventions and of patents for inventions and utility models are published. Besides the above-mentioned, the annual index to the gazette also comprises the numerical index of applications (for patents issued for inventions and utility models), name index of authors of inventions and name indexes of owners of patents for inventions and utility models.
During 2002, the official gazette “Promyslova Vlasnist” and Ukrainian patent descriptions were delivered free of charge to the State Scientific and Technical Library, the Ukrainian Institute of Scientific, Technical and Economic Information, its three branches and 20 Scientific, Technical and Economic Information Centres in different regions of Ukraine. This edition was also disseminated by subscription.
In the year 2002, the publication of the scientific and practical periodical “Intelektualna Vlasnist”(“Intellectual Property”) continued, in which theoretical and practical issues on the protection of intellectual property were elucidated, official information, normative documents and comments on them, consultations of experts were placed. The periodical is published in Ukrainian, its contents – also in Russian and English.
With the purpose of inclusion of the data concerning Ukrainian patents to the regional CD-ROM of CIS countries “CISPATENT”, 12 information arrays of total volume of 9125 patent documents (that makes up 30.4% from the total number of patent documents published on the regional CD in 2002) were formed and transmitted to Rospatent, which is the technical executor and coordinator of the above-mentioned CD-ROM issuing project. The technology of forming of information array for the regional CD-ROM comprises: scanning of paper patent documents; detection and correction of errors; electronic documents formation and indexing; bibliographic data and abstract translation into English and Russian; input of information about patents into the electronic database.
Activities on creating the national CD-ROM “Vynakhody Ukrainy” (“Inventions of Ukraine”) were launched.
Information on the sources of patent information was made available in the special section of the State Department website on the Internet (the new URL: www.sdip.gov.ua).

III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents

For classification of inventions and utility models the seventh edition of the International Patent Classification was used.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

Since the 1st of July, 1997, Patent Informational Base (PIB) and its reference and search device – the search file of the examination body, the Ukrainian Industrial Property Institute (Ukrpatent), assigned for carrying out substantive examination of applications for inventions has been in operation. By the end of 2002, PIB numbered approximately 9 000 CD-ROM and DVD-ROM – EPO (since 1978), PCT (1978 -), USA (1975 -), Russian (1994 -) patent documents and Japanese English-language abstracts since 1976. From 2002, PIB has been supplied with the regional patent information product of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, CISPATENT. This product is published on CD-ROM and comprises, in particular, Ukrainian patent documentation and patent documentation of the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO). Foreign patent documentation was received by PIB mostly within the framework of international cooperation. In the year 2002, PIB received such patent information products: ESPACE-EP-A, ESPACE-EP-B, ESPACE-ACCESS, ACCESS-B, ESPACE-WORLD, USAPAT, PCT Gazette, “Патенты России” (“Patents of Russia”), ESPACE-LEGAL, ESPACE-BULLETIN, CISPATENT.
In the year 2002, for the purposes of patent information search external databases available in the Internet were used, in particular: esp@cenet, industrial property digital libraries (IPDL) on the sites of Patent Offices of the USA, Japan, Germany and WIPO.

V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems

The information environment of the examination body is built up in accordance with its organizational structure. It is divided into domains; each of them attends to an appropriate subdivision.
Besides domains, the Ukrpatent information environment is divided into corresponding sub-networks and corresponding virtual networks (VLAN –Virtual Local Area). Appropriate servers, PDC1 and BDC2, manage the work of each of these domains. The Ukrpatent local computer network is the core of the informational system. It includes servers, workstations, active network equipment and periphery devices.
In Ukrpatent, software and hardware are constantly upgraded, which allows to gradually turn to newer and more powerful systems of information processing.
By the end of 2002, 400 workstations and 18 servers based on modern powerful computers were functioning in the local network of Ukrpatent. The network capacity is 100 Mbit/sec. Every workstation has access to the Internet, which is provided by a 1024 Kbit/sec dedicated channel.
The system of technological search in the “Vynakhody” (“Inventions”) database has been developed and put into operation.
Revision of automated systems also took place, necessitated by the changes introduced into legislative acts and regulations (outgoing document forms, changes in fee and tariff rates, etc.).
The integrated automated system “Payment accounting”, united with the bank system of payment accounting for all kinds of activities of Ukrpatent, including accounting of fees for processing of applications for all industrial property rights, has been launched.
A system of general electronic document circulation has been put into use.
The development and approval of separate fragments of the flow chart for the electronic filing of applications has been started.
Aiming to accelerate patent searching, the creation of an integrated in-house electronic database “Foreign Inventions” has been launched.
In the year 2002, updating of the “Inventions” automated system database with bibliographic data of Ukrainian patents for inventions and utility models has been on-going. By December 31, 2002, the “Inventions” automated system database comprised bibliographic data of 99488 applications for inventions and 2761 applications for utility models.
1PDC – Primary Domain Controller, server storing the database of all network resources of the given domain.
2BDC – Backup Domain Controller, server storing the copy of the database of all network resources of the given domain. When PDC is disabled, BDC can temporarily act instead of it.

VI. Administration of the industrial property office library and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, for assisting clients on searching procedures, for obtaining official publications and registry extracts)

The Public Fund of Patent Documentation (PFPD) is a patent library available to the public, which functions since 1999. The PFPD collection comprises domestic patent documentation, official gazettes, which publish information about inventions and utility models of 45 countries of the world and 2 international organizations, as well as complete descriptions of patents on paper carriers and microfiches (Poland, Slovakia, Canada until 1999, the former GDR) and, mostly, on optical discs (EPO, PCT, OAPI, Canada from 1999 on, Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany, the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, Japan, the countries of CIS). By the end of 2002, the collection of foreign documentation listed approximately 7500 CD-ROM. Besides patent documentation, PFPD was supplied with main Ukrainian periodicals, legal and methodical literature.
On users’ request, PFPD provided printed copies of patent documents, rendered services and gave consultations on the process of registration of applications for inventions and utility models. Extracts from Ukrainian State patent register were issued on request.
On August 19, 2002, for the implementation of the corresponding Decree of the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine issued a Resolution on the creation of the State Patent Library, with branches in different regions of Ukraine. Realization of this Resolution, after solving of the existing financial problems, will allow to improve access of the general public to patent information in Ukraine.
In 2002, the domestic interactive specialized database “Vynakhody v Ukraini” (“Inventions in Ukraine”), comprising bibliographic data, abstracts, claims and descriptions of patents was created in Ukrpatent. Bibliographic data and abstracts were presented in one of the two languages (Ukrainian or Russian) the year of publication 2001 inclusive, and are presented in three languages (Ukrainian, Russian and English) since the year 2002. Claims and descriptions of patents are presented in the said database only in the original: in the Ukrainian or Russian languages (this concerns patents registered in Ukraine before 2002). User access to this database through the Internet (www.ukrpatent.org) is open since December, 2002.

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information

Within the international exchange framework in 2002, Ukrpatent received official gazettes, comprising publications on inventions (utility models) from 39 national industrial property offices, from the EAPO and the EPO, as well as from the International Bureau of WIPO, which sent its official bulletin, “PCT Gazette”. As for patent document exchange, descriptions of patents of Ukraine were dispatched to 7 patent offices (AT, CA, DE, JP, PL, SK, RU) on paper carriers, and patent documents on CD-ROM from 11 offices (AT, CA, CH, CN, DE, EP, FR, JP, RU, US, WO) were received.
Application filing was allowed only on paper.
With the purpose of implementation of the WIPO document “Principles Concerning the Changeover to Electronic Data Carriers for the Exchange of Patent Documents”, in the year 2002 the realization of the Agreement on the issue of the joint regional patent information product of the CIS countries on CD-ROM – CISPATENT, signed by the patent offices of Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and the Eurasian Patent Office, was launched. Within the framework of this Agreement, Ukrpatent, since February, 2002, forms monthly data arrays containing information on patents for inventions, registered in Ukraine in the previous month. Such array is transmitted to Rospatent, which is the technical executor and coordinator of the above-mentioned CD-ROM issue project. The Ukrainian patent documentation is presented on this CD in the form of bibliographic data and abstracts in three languages (Ukrainian, Russian and English) and complete descriptions of patents for inventions, available only in Ukrainian. Search is implemented in the Russian- and English language bibliographic data and abstracts by means of MIMOSA retrieval software. It is envisaged that the use of this disc for international exchange will be accomplished through the coordinator of the Project – Rospatent.

VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries

The State Department coordinates activities concerning the development, improvement and functioning of the system for training of intellectual property specialists in Ukraine. Today 12 institutes of higher education in Ukraine hold license for training for a specialist’s and master’s degree in the field of intellectual property. Among them there are the Intellectual Property and Law Institute (IPLI) (Kyiv) and the Inter-Industry Institute for the Staff Upgrading in the New Trends in the Developments of Engineering and Technology, a branch of the Kharkiv State Polytechnic University. In the year 2002, IPLI, in cooperation with leading specialists of the State Department, developed 5 training and methodical manuals, approved for publication by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Fundamentals of intellectual property as an academic subject is being introduced in Ukrainian institutes of higher education and in secondary schools.
In 2002, the State Department organized, conducted and took part in 28 conferences, seminars and in more than 20 round-table discussions concerning the protection of intellectual property rights. Among these events there was the VI International Conference “Present-day Problems of Intellectual Property Rights Protection”, where the discussion of information support problems of the system of IPR protection was one of the most actively developed issues.
Patent documentation and standardization specialists from Ukrpatent took part in the work of the Task Force on the revision of WIPO Standard ST.6 held under the auspices of WIPO during 2002.

IX. Other relevant matters