SCIT.ATR.PI.2004.PL

Annual Technical Report 2004 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Poland (SCIT/ATR/PI/2004/PL)

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 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 filings and grants with respect to the previous year

In 2004 the regulations of the “Industrial Property” Act (enacted on August 22, 2001, amended on January 23, 2004) were observed in the field of industrial property protection in Poland.
On March 1, 2004 Poland joined the European Patent Organization

Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year

In 2004, the Polish Patent Office (PPO) received:
• 2.779 patent applications under the national procedure, among which domestic applications constituted the number of 2.381 (a decrease of 5% compared to2003), and foreign applications- 398 (a decrease of 50%)
• 111 PCT applications and 59 applications for European patent.
• 123.101 designations of Poland in international patent applications in other countries under the PCT (i.e. 55,3% more than in 2003). 4.961 such applications entered the examination phase at the PPO. The total of 6.117 decisions were taken, among which 2.470 being positive ones (in 2003- 2.200). The number of valid patents on December 31, 2004 was 13.828.
• 679 utility model applications under the national procedure, a decrease of 10% on the 2003 figure, 31 foreign utility model applications. 1.650 decisions were taken; 1.268 of them were the decisions to grant protection rights.

• No integrated circuit topography application was filed. 1 application was granted the right of registration.

• 3 geographical indication applications under Council Regulation No 2081/92 of 14 July 1992 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

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

Publishing, printing, copying (main types of publications of the office in the field of patent information, etc.)

1. In 2004 the following publications were issued:
a) periodicals:
• “Biuletyn Urzędu Patentowego” ( “Patent Office’s Bulletin”)- 26 numbers, i.e. 13.400 copies
• “Wiadomości Urzędu Patentowego” (Patent Office’s Announcements) – 12 numbers, i.e. 5.747 copies
• “Dziennik Urzędowy UP RP” (The PPO Journal)- 3 numbers, i.e. 260 copies
• “Wykaz patentów na wynalazki, udzielonych przez UP RP w 2003 roku” (Index of patents granted in the Polish Patent Office in 2003”) – 2 volumes, i.e. 150 copies
• Wykaz wzorów użytkowych, na które Urząd Patentowy RP udzielił prawa ochronnego w 2003 roku” (“ Index of utility models which were granted protection In the PPO in 2003) – 1 volume, i.e. 70 copies
• “Skorowidz Dziennika Urzędowego UPRP, 2003” – Index to the PPO Journal- 80 copies
• Patent specifications 2000 (titles) – 76.039 copies

b) non periodical, single brochure publications:
• “Annual Report of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, 2003” – 350 copies
• “Determination of pecuniary damage caused by infringement of trademark rights in German and Polish legislation.”- 400 copies
• Industrial Property Law. Legal status as on May 1, 2004” – 800 copies
• Protection of trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications in Poland after accession to the European Union – 500 copies


2. In 2004 the following services were performed and supplied to users:

• 10.700 individual Polish and foreign patent specifications

• 2.203 titles of Polish patent specifications were transported onto microfiches, including 1.339 on silver microfiches (for storage). 9.373 titles on diazo copies for the purposes of international exchange.

Mass storage media used (paper, microforms, optical storage, etc.)

The PPO used the following carriers of patent documentation storage: CD-ROM discs, DVD, paper, microfilm, microfiches with a gradual decrease of the microform and paper carriers.

(New) techniques used for the generation of patent information (printing, recording, photocomposing, etc.)

The constantly modernized publication system enables production of the Office’s publications on its own. The publishing process was based on the DTP system and covered preparation of the data contained in the Office’s database, text editing and typesetting in Corel Ventura 11 and InDesign 3.0. Laser prints constitute the basis for the montage preceding the printing process. Printing was performed on the offset machine and digital reproducer. Publications were book bound in the last phase.
Moreover, silver microfiches of Polish patent specifications and diazo copies were made in microfilm technique.

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

Classification and reclassification activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC), other classification (please indicate whether or not patent documents are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)

In 2004 the VIII edition of the IPC was applied in the PPO, both at the stage of classifying new applications and on currently published patent documents.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

In 2004 building of Polish and foreign patent documentation file on CD-ROM, DVD, optical discs, paper and on microfilms was continued

File building

1. The increase of patent documentation was as follows:

a) foreign patent documentation:
• 69.400 titles on paper
• 894.000 optical discs CD-ROM and DVD containing descriptions of patent applications, patent specifications and utility model descriptions from 20 countries.
b) Polish patent specifications:

• 8.200 on paper
• 2.946 on microfiches


2. At the end of December 2004 the total number of patent documentation in the search files constituted:

• 29.566.082 patent documents on CD-ROMS
• 13.169.000 titles of documents on paper
• 160.000 on microform carriers

Updating

In 2004 the PPO continued collecting, storing and preparing patent and technical literature purchased, subscribed or exchanged:

• 131 books introduced to the local library and book database- ZBILNI
• 3.700 booklets of patent, technical and legal literature on paper, 216 CD-ROMs containing the equivalents of foreign patent bulletins and other periodicals
• 565 discs of bibliographic data and trademark database.

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

In-house systems (online/offline)

working on-line and based on the BAZPAT database for the needs of application filings and granting procedures:
• the system of patent and utility model applications
• the system of patent searching
• the system of utility model searching
• fees control system
• EPTOS (online filling, ePhoenix)

External databases

• Modernization of the Office’s Internet home page (administration of services for outside users of the Office’s information sources)
• Databases on subjects of industrial property filed and under protection in Poland
• In co-operation with the EPO – providing information stored in the esp@cenet database via the Polish interface.

Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics, administrative support, etc.)

functioning within support systems (including administrative service), operating off-line:
• law information system
• patent attorneys information system
• finance-accounting system
• system supporting the access to the databases on CD-ROMs containing the files of full text specifications, bibliographic data and abstracts of patent specifications in the Office’s Library

Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used

1.1 In-house computer network (LAN) based on the Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet solutions. Alcatel and 3com active tools


1.2 Hardware installed in 2004:

Celeron 1,6 Ghz, 128 MB RAM, 20 GB HDD, Lan Ethernet 100 Mbit/s, 17” monitors


1.3 New servers were bought and the existing ones were modernized

1.4 Implementation of:
• Active Directory domain on the Windows 2003 Server
• New e-mail system of the PPO, based on the MS Exchange 2003 Server
• Database based on MS SQL server
• Tivolli system of central data backup


1.5 The following programs were installed:
Operating systems:
• Windows 2003 Server
• Windows 2000 Server
• IBM AIX v 4.3
• Linux SUSE 9

Database servers:
• IBM DB2 and Content Manager
• MS SQL 2000
• Oracle 9i
• MySQL v 4.0.15
• MaxDB

Basic functions of the servers:
• E-mail and group work servers working on MS Exchange 2003
• Domain controller on Windows 2003 with DHCP, DNS
• Routing and firewall on MS ISA Server and CISCO PIX
• web page on the Microsoft Content Management Server
• Tivoli Storage Manager system of data backup 5.2
• MacAfee Antyvirus and Antispam with E-mail scanner
• Application for databases searching- MIMOSA V4.2, Patent WebAccess, PatentWS, IRIS

1.6 The working applications were supported on the basis of the following tools:
• REVELATION- administration of external patent and utility model databases
• DB2 and JAVA- managing trademark and industrial design database
• Pearl, PHP, C#. NET – creating of inter- and intra- websites
• IBM CONTENT MANAGER- managing the application documents of trademarks and industrial designs
• SQL SERVER and C#- managing the external database
• ULTRANET and IRIS- supporting the net access to optical discs
• Adobe and Corel software – publishing issues

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)

Planning, administration, automation, security, buildings

Our internal libraries (for examiners and outside users) are run by the Patent Literature Department. The available collection includes PL abstracts, IPC, ECLA, pamphlets, manuals and other publications such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, official journals of Poland and of the EPO. Some of the information is also available on our web page.

Collecting, acquisitions, preparation

In 2004 in the field of organization and upkeep of the files available to the Office’s examiners and the public, the following documentation was included in the files:

• 894.000 copies of patent documents on optical discs CD-ROM and DVD containing abstracts of patent and utility model applications, from 20 countries and 2 international organizations.
• 8.200 copies of Polish patent specifications on paper
• 69.100 titles of foreign patent specifications
• 1.700 copies of Polish utility models’ specifications
• 2.946 titles of Polish patent specifications on microfiche
• 14.300 cards of patent and utility model application abstracts published in the “Patent Office’s Bulletin” and non-published as well as given a negative decision.



As regards organization and upkeep of the files accessible on various carriers there were 11.600 EPO specifications inventoried (3rd edition of Int. Cl.)

Interlibrary lending, resource sharing, networks of patent libraries in the country

Within the co-operation with the patent information centers in Poland, the Office continued supplying them with foreign patent documentation and literature. In 2004 the Office sent:
• 1.236 discs with full text databases on CD-ROMs
• 330 copies of patent bulletins
• 51 discs with patent literature
• 5.122 copies of Polish utility models and industrial designs
• 1.442 copies of the “Bulletin of the Patent Office”
• 749 copies of the “Announcements of the Patent Office”
• 89 copies of the “Official Journal”
• 72 copies of “Index of patents granted in the Polish Patent Office in 2003”
• 35 copies of “Index of utility models which were granted protection in the PPO in 2003”
• 45 copies of “Index to the PPO Journal”
• 43 copies of “Determination of pecuniary damage caused by infringement of trademark rights in German and Polish legislation.”
• 43 copies of Industrial Property Law. Legal status as on May 1, 2004”
• 34.552 full texts of Polish patent specifications

Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and patent information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)

Within the services rendered for the users the following were made accessible:
• 7.700 files with foreign patent documentation and 10.700 copies of single Polish and foreign patent specifications, 600 volumes of books and 900 booklets and periodicals. Free access to Polish and world patent documentation, indexes of trademarks being applied for and registered, indexes of applications for ornamental designs.
• 21.887 retrievals on the bibliographic databases on CD-ROMs for 3.037 users
• 142.600 paid and 214.800 free of charge xero copies of Polish and foreign patent documentation

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information

International or regional cooperation in the exchange of machine-readable information, e.g., bibliographic data, abstract and/or full text information

1. In 2004 exchange of signal and source information with foreign patent offices was continued. We sent to libraries abroad:

• To 39 countries, 457 copies of “WUP””- Announcements of the Patent Office
• To 17 countries, 443 copies of “BUP” –Patent Office’s Bulletin
• To 22 countries, 44 copies of “Index of patents granted in 2003”
• To 19 countries, 19 copies of “Index of utility models granted in 2003”
• To 9 countries, 16.549 copies of Polish patent specifications (full texts)
• To 7 countries, 10.427 diazo microfiches of Polish patent specifications.

2. We continued co-operation with the EPO and patent offices in producing the optical discs CD-ROM PRECES with patent documentation of these countries and of Poland, preparing and transmitting data in an electronic form.

Medium used for exchange of priority documents

Paper

Medium allowed for filing applications

Paper

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

Training courses for national and foreign participants, use of audiovisual means

Education and training with respect to patent information covered, among the others, the following items:

• Members of the PPO’s staff participated in conferences, meetings and training courses organized in other countries by the international organization such as EPO (80 people). The courses focused on various issues such as: search and examination in various fields of technology, the European patent system, documentation, classification, patentability, business method and IT issues.
• 106 of the Office’s staff members participated in training courses organized throughout the country. The courses focused on various issues such as civil service, introduction to legislation and administration systems, the European Union etc.
• 15 lectures on the industrial property issues led by the Office’s staff, participated by 535 people

Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)

• All- Poland Conference- “Poland in the European Patent Organization”
• Two–day-long workshops conducted for patent attorneys by examiners of the European Patent Office
• Informational/ promotional stands in the Museum of Techniques in Warsaw during the 9th Exhibition of Inventions awarded in international exhibitions in 2003
• All-Poland Conference –“ Protection of trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications in Poland after the accession to the EU”
• Promotional stand at the PATLIB 2004 Conference in Portugal
• Promotional stand at the Science Picnic of BIS Polish Radio
• Promotional stand at the Poznan International Fairs organized in the co-operation with the European Patent Office, which was granted with ACANTHUS AUREUS award in the competition for the stands that were the best organized and prepared to achieve direct communication with the customers
• All-Poland Conference in the co-operation with TAIEX –“Intellectual Property in Developing Society”
• Informational stand during the 4th National Educational Forum for small and medium-sized enterprises organized by Polish Agency for Enterprise Development
• Seminar for patent attorneys from universities and academies in Cedzyna
• Inteltrans 2004 Conference –“Quality, Innovation and Technology Transfer in Enterprises’ Development”, in co-organization with Cracow University of Technology
• Informational/promotional stand at Katowice Fairs for Economic and Science Innovations Intarg 2004
• Informational stand at International EPIDOS 2004 Conference organized by the EPO in Prague
• All-Poland Conference- “Protection of trademarks and industrial designs in the EU”
• The 9th All-Poland Science Conference –“Patent Information for Science and Industry”
• Awards Ceremony of winners of the 2nd edition of Competitions organized by the Patent Office for the best poster, doctoral and master’s thesis and student dissertation on the industrial property protection issues.

IX. Other relevant matters