Annual Technical Report 2006 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Lithuania (SCIT/ATR/PI/2006/LT)
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
Application filings and grants in 2006:
86 patent applications filed direct with the State Patent Bureau of the Republic of Lithuania (SPB), from which 87,2 % applications originating in Lithuania (including: 10 PCT international applications; 1 application in accordance with EPC);
24 PCT international applications commenced the national phase;
4043 patent applications published, from which 71,4 % European patent applications extended to Lithuania;
89 Lithuanian patents granted;
704 European patents enforced in Lithuania (including 5 European patents in accordance with EPC).
Compared with 2005 the number of:
national filings decreased by 14,0 %;
filings originating in Lithuania constant;
Lithuanian grants decreased by 23,3 %;
patent applications published increased by 2,6 %;
European patents enforced in Lithuania increased by 4,5 %.
Agriculture, Organic Chemistry, Medicine, Biochemistry remain the leading areas as reflected in patent filings 1996 - 2006.
Statistics of the year 2006 (national filings and PCT national phase entries, national patents granted on the basis of national filings and PCT national phase entries, national patent applications pending, national patents in force) is provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/en/index.php?c=statistics.php).
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information
SPB official patent publications are:
Patent applications (A documents);
Patent Specifications (B documents);
Official Gazette on Inventions, Designs, Trademarks.
The Official Gazette contains announcements published in 2006:
BB1A Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 21 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FD9A Patent Applications withdrawn in accordance with Article 21 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FG4D European Patents published in accordance with Article 59(3) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG9D Revocation of European Patent extension in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG4D Revocation of European Patents in accordance with Article 59(3) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MM9A Patents lapsed in accordance with Article 27 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PC9A Transfer of Patents in accordance with Article 31 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
QB9A Licensing in accordance with Articles 34-36, 38 and 39 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
QA9A Licences of Right published in accordance with Article 37 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PD9A, TH9A, TC9A Changes in Patents published in accordance with Article 43 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
BB1A International Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 48 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND1A Decisions not to grant Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 271 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND1A Applications for Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 271 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND1A Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 271 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
TK9A Rectifications;
BB1D European Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 51 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FG9D European Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG9D Revocation of European Patent extension in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PD9D, TH9D, TC9D Changes in European Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PC9D Transfer of Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MF9D European Patents revoked in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MM9D Cancellation of European Patent extension in accordance with Article 58 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND9D Applications for Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 271 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND9D Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 271 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND1D Decisions not to grant Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 271 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
TK9D Rectifications.
Sections of the Official Gazette are coded in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.17.
Patent applications (A documents), Patent Specifications (B documents) printed at SPB are open for public inspection at Lithuanian Technical Library (LTL).
Lithuanian Patent Specifications ("B" documents) were also available on ESPACE-PRECES CD-ROM and esp@cenet (http://lt.espacenet.com/) in 2006.
The Official Gazette Inventions. Designs. Trade Marks. is prepared using DTP tools, printed and might be obtained at LTL.
The SPB Official Gazette publications have been included in the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/en/index.php?c=gazette.php) in Adobe PDF format since 2005.
Databases of the Patents of the Republic of Lithuania and of the European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania are included in the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/isradimai/index.php?l=en).
III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents
Lithuanian language invention abstracts of patent applications and patents are published as presented by applicants.
English language abstracts to be published on EPIDOS-INPADOC and on esp@cenet have been translated by the SPB examiners.
75 patent applications published were classified and 1839 inventions were reclassified in accordance with the eight edition of the International Patent Classification (IPC) in 2006.
Internationally agreed Numbers for the Identification of Data (INID codes) relating to patents were used in the Register, Official Gazette and Patent Specifications.
Sections of the Official Gazette are coded in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.17.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
The internal file of SPB contained the Lithuanian patent publications and the following CD-ROM and DVD-ROM databases:
ESPACE-SI (SI);
ESPACE-PRECES+ACCESS (BG, CS, CZ, HU, LV, LT, PL, RO, SK);
ESPACE ACCESS-EPC (AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IT, LI, LT, LU, MC, NL, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, TR);
ESPACE-EP (EP);
ESPACE-ACCESS (EP, WO);
ESPACE-WORLD (WO).
At the end of the year, the stocks of LTB contained over 34,1 million patent documents. Over 1,5 million documents were acquired in 2006.
LTL stocks were enriched by patent specifications from 20 countries and organizations (AM, BG, BY,CA, CH, CZ, DE, DK, EP, FI, FR, GB, GE, HU, JP, KG, LT, LV, MD, PL, RO, RU, SK, TJ, UA, US, UZ, WO).
Public users have a possibility to use the following LTL CD-ROM and DVD-ROM databases:
Promyslennaja sobstvennost. Oficialnyj biuleten (AM);
ESPACE-CA (CA);
ESPACE-CH (CH);
Schweizerisches Patent-, Muster- und Markenblatt (CH);
ESPACE-DE (DE);
DEPAROM-ACT (DE);
ESPACE-DE-U (DE);
DEPAROM-U (DE);
DEPAROM-KOMPAKT (DE);
ESPACE-DK (DK);
The Patents and Designs Journal (DK);
Industrial Property Bulletin (EE);
CD-BOPI (ES);
ESPACE-FI (FI);
COSMOS (FR);
BREF (FR);
Published unexamined patent and utility model applications (IL);
Published examined patent and utility model applications (IL);
JPO CD-ROM A&U (JP);
JPO CD-ROM B&Y (JP);
PAJ (JP);
PAJ/INDEX (JP);
Patent Abstracts Japan. Unexamined Applications (JP);
Glasnik intelektualne svojine (ME, RS);
Buletin Oficial de Proprietate Industriala (MD);
IPPO Glasnik (MK);
Buletin Oficial de Proprietate Industriala (RO);
ESPACE-RFD (RU);
ESPACE-RFP (RU);
Izobretenija. Poleznyje modeli. (RU);
Navidi patenti (TJ);
Resmi Patent Bulteni (TR);
Promyslova vlastnist (UA);
ESPACE-UK (UK);
USAApp (US);
USAPat (US);
Patents BIB: Apps (US);
Patents BIB: Grants (US);
Official Gazette: of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Patents (US);
Rasmily ahborotnoma (UZ);
CISPATENT (AM, BY, EA, GE, KG, MD, RU, TJ, UA, UZ);
ESPACE-PRECES+ACCESS (BG, CS, CZ, HU, LV, LT, PL, RO, SK);
GLOBALPat (US, WO, EP, UK, DE, FR, CH);
ESPACE ACCESS-EPC� (AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IT, LI, LT, LU, MC, NL, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, TR);
ESPACE-ACCESS (EP, WO);
ESPACE-EP (EP);
ESPACE-WORLD (WO).
V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems
Register of Patents is a database (Informix) containing all the bibliographic and legal status data on patents changes of names and addresses and licence and transfer agreements included.
The SPB Official Gazette publications (Adobe PDF format) and databases of national and European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania are included in the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/).
Statistics of national patents is provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/en/index.php?c=statistics.php).
Lithuanian Patent Specifications ("B" documents) are available on ESPACE-PRECES CD-ROM and esp@cenet (http://lt.espacenet.com/).
EPIDOS/INPADOC data on bibliographic data and legal status data of Lithuanian Patents and European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania (SPC data and data in accordance with EPC included) were included in esp@cenet (http://lt.espacenet.com/).
The CD-ROM and DVD-ROM databases as mentioned in Section IV were available in 2006 at the SPB and LTL.
VI. Administration of the industrial property office library and information products 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)
OPS have been introduced by LTL in 2004. LTL also offered to its visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with a wide range of Lithuanian publications (SPB Official Gazette, full text of patent specifications in paper and CD-ROM format, etc.), Official Gazettes, patent bibliography of foreign states and intergovernmental organisations on DVD-ROMs and CD-ROMs, sets of communications and regulations.
The visitors of LTL can be consulted on the spot as well as by telephone or e-mail. LTL is an access provider to the LTL website (http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm) and provides an opportunity to order patent search.
The distribution of official patent publications of SPB in foreign states and intergovernmental organisations on the basis of mutual exchange is effected also by LTL.
The SPB Official Gazette publications (Adobe PDF format) and databases of national and European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania are included in the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/).
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information
The official gazette of SPB was distributed in 39 foreign states and intergovernmental organisations (AM, AT, BA, BG, BY, BX, CH, CZ, DE, EE, EM, EP, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, JP, KG, KZ, LV, MD, MK, PL, RO, RS, RU, SI, SK, TJ, TM, TR, UA, US, UZ, WO) on the basis of mutual exchange.
The bibliographic and legal status data on the Lithuanian Patent Applications, PCT Applications, Lithuanian Patents and European Patents was supplied to EPO and Hungarian Company ARCANUM INFORMATICS Ltd. to be included in PRECES, ACCESS-EPC, INPADOC PFS, INPADOC PRS and esp@cenet. PCT Applications data were also supplied to WIPO to be included into PatentScope Search Service database.
Several libraries of Lithuanian universities and specialised research libraries were provided with PRECES CD-ROMs (obtained from the Hungarian Patent Office).
Paper format is used for exchange of priority documents and for filing of patent applications.
VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)
Lithuanian specialists took part in the following events in 2006:
EPO Conference PATLIB2006;
WIPO Standards and Documentation Working Group (Seventh Session) of Standing Committee on Information Technologies;
EPO 64nd meeting of the Working Party on Technical Information;
EPO epoline Annual Conference 2006;
EPO Patent Information Conference 2006.
The following seminars were organized together with WIPO and EPO in 2006:
national seminar Regarding the Use of Trademarks in Business and Trade;
regional seminar Coordination of the World Intellectual Property Organization Universities;
national seminar Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and PCT-SAFE Training.
Seminars on the protection of the industrial property in Lithuania and patent information service were held in Kaunas and Siauliai in 2006.
World Intellectual Property Day has been celebrated, an exposition dedicated for the World Intellectual Property Day and for the 15th Anniversary of the SPB has been organized at LTL.
Upon active cooperation with the WIPO, a University Initiative program is being implemented in Lithuania, according to which industrial property information coordinators operate in Vilnius Gediminas Technical University as well as in Kaunas University of Technology.
In cooperation with EPO and WIPO the following Lithuanian language publications have been published:
The European Patent Convention;
Guide for applicants EURO-PCT: How to get a European Patent;
esp@cenet. An introduction to the database of ideas;
Inventing the Future - An Introduction to Patents for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.
Lithuanian press published articles on the improvement of the Lithuanian industrial property information system.
Bibliographical index The Protection of the Industrial Property (where books and articles of the Lithuanian authors in field of industrial property for years 1991-2006 indicated) is maintained and information publication Protection of the Industrial Property is published every quarter by LTL as well.
IX. Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?c=teisesaktai/index.php&rightfrm=no&srch=no) provides information on legislation related to patents.
The Annual Report of the Office is included in the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/en/).
SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/en/index.php?c=/news/index.php&l=en) contains patent-related news regarding the Office.
X. Other relevant matters
During the year 2006 the replies of the Lithuanian party to Standing Committee on Information Technologies Circulars were directed to WIPO and the formats of the publication and exchange of the Lithuanian industrial property data based on WIPO standards were determined.
In 2006, Lithuanian industrial property statistical data were submitted to WIPO to be published in its publication Industrial Property Statistics.
| 1. | Classification is allotting one or more classification symbols (e.g., IPC symbols) to a patent application, either before or during search and examination, which symbols are then published with the patent application.
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| 2. | Preclassification is allotting an initial broad classification symbol (e.g., IPC class or subclass, or administrative unit) to a patent application, using human or automated means for internal administrative purposes (e.g., routing an application to the appropriate examiner). Usually preclassification is applied by the administration of an office.
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| 3. | Reclassification is the reconsideration and usually the replacement of one or more previously allotted classification symbols to a patent document, following a revision and the entry into force of a new version of the Classification system (e.g., the IPC). The new symbols are available on patent databases.
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