SCIT.ATR.PI.2007.LV

Annual Technical Report 2007 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Latvia (SCIT/ATR/PI/2007/LV)

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

The activity of patent applicants with a slight tendency of increase remains on the same level as in previous years.

Patent applications
There were 147 national patent applications filed directly with the Latvian Patent Office, including 139 domestic applications. The number of international applications, filed under The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) was 15.

Granted patents
The total number of granted patents in 2007 was 803, including patents granted for national applications-110, patents granted for international applications (under PCT) - 12, validated European patents - 16, extended European patents - 665.

The statistics related to patents can be found on our Office's website
http://www.lrpv.lv/index.php?lang=LV&id=16

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

Just like in previous years the Latvian Patent Office issued its monthly Bulletin that contains information and bibliographic data of Inventions, Trademarks, and Industrial Designs. This bulletin is available to the public for a reasonable price in the Patent Office.We are also considering to make it available by means of the Web site in the future.

The publication "Facts and Figures" has been drawn up to inform the public about the results of the Patent Office's activities. It is in both English and Latvian and is free of charge.

Being aware of the great role the rising generation is going to play in the formation of the future, we have paid a particular attention to education of schoolchildren and students on intellectual property issues.

We are especially proud of the Latvian version of WIPO's publication"Learn from the past, create the future. Inventions and patents", which is also available to the public and is free of charge.

The Latvian Patent Office published a brochure "The Patent Law". (This Law was adopted by the Saeima on the 15th of February and entered into force on the 1st of March).

We provided consultations and information to the public, patent attorneys and various institutions directly in the Patent Office of Latvia, as well as on our web-site.

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

Our Office publishes an abstract document of Latvian Patent applications 18 months after the priority date, or earlier on the request of applicant, in the Latvian Bulletin. Publication contains bibliographic data, abstract and drawing or chemical formulae.
For the purpose of improving the access to industrial property information and assisting users of documents relating to industrial property titles/or applications, we implemented the recommendations and standards of WIPO. To classify patents we have been using International Patent Classification System (IPC-8).

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

The Patent and Technology Library’s collection of patent documents comprises over 34 million documents from WIPO, EPO and EAPO. The collection includes 32 bibliographical and full-text patent, trademark databases, databases of utility models and industrial designs from 50 countries.
The library collection includes also patent bulletins and gazettes, monographs and reference literature on industrial property protection, as well as non-patent literature.
In the library users can get the latest information on modern technologies implemented all around the world and on legal protection of ideas and goods. This kind of information is crucial for industry and science.

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

In the year 2007 the Latvian Patent Office has made a great contribution to improve its search system's quality. And this has resulted in the rise of public awareness in the field of intellectual property. We have enriched our databases and improved information services which are available to the public in the Patent and Technology Library, in the Patent Office and on our home-page.

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)

The Patent and Technology Library is a special library of national significance. The library is the only one which collects and processes patent documents in Latvia.
The aim of the library is to promote national inventions and patents activities and to further the state policy in the field of the legal protection of industrial property.
The main tasks of the library are to:
- acquire or provide access to all kinds of information resources, to create reference tools and local databases;
- provide library, information and bibliographic services to individuals and institutions.
The library has been acquiring, processing and maintaining patent documents, patent gazettes and other patent and non-patent literature since 1962. Since 1967, the library has also been collecting standards and technical documentation.
The older part of the collections is on paper, microfilm or microfiche. Now the majority of patent documents are on CD/DVD-ROMs. The library collections are acquired by purchase (the financial resources for it are allocated from the state budget) and by exchange of publications with other industrial property offices under international agreements.
The patent and trademark gazettes as well as reference literature are kept in the public reading rooms; other materials, i.e. patent documents, are stored in the stock-rooms and are lent at users’ request.
The staff of the Patent Information Department offer specialist services, such as patent and trademark searches, and compile bibliographic indexes to patent documentation. These services are offered for a moderate price.
Other services are free of charge: in the reading rooms readers can use patent and trademark gazettes, reference materials, other books and periodicals.
Users can carry out searches using CD/DVD-ROMs at 4 workstations. The following CD/DVD-ROM collections are available:

Buletinul Official de Proprietate Industriala (RO)
Canadian Patent Applications
Canadian Patents
CISPATENT
Community Trade Marks Bulletin
DEPAROM ACT
DEPAROM KOMPAKT
DEPAROM U
DOPALES PRIMERAS
ESPACE-ACCESS
ESPACE-ACCESS EP
ESPACE-ACCESS-EUROPE
ESPACE-ACCESS- PRECES
ESPACE-AT
ESPACE-BENELUX
ESPACE-BULLETIN
ESPACE-CH
ESPACE-EP
ESPACE-ES
ESPACE-FI
ESPACE-FIRST
ESPACE-IT
ESPACE-OAPI
ESPACE-PRECES
ESPACE-SI
ESPACE-UK
ESPACE-WORLD
GLOBALPat
Industrial Property Official Bulletin (AM)
The Inventions protected in the Republic of Moldova
JPO CD-ROM A&U
JPO CD-ROM B&Y
Official bulletin of the Industrial Property of Georgia
Official Gazette of the US Patent & Trademark Office: Patents
PAJ
PRECES-ASEANPAT
ROMARIN BIBLIO
ROMARIN IMAGES
SNAP
TRACES
TRADEMARKS REGISTERED
USA App
USA Pat
US Patent Search
WIPO Gazette of International Marks

Бюллетень Евразийского патентного ведомства: Изобретения (евразийские заявки и патенты)
Гласник: патенти, модели и мостри, стоковни и услужни жигове, ознаки на потеклото на производите, лиценци, засталувайне (MK)
Изобретения. Полезные модели (RU)
Описания изобретений к евразийским заявкам
Описания изобретений к евразийским патентам
Официальный бюллетень промышленной собственности Грузии
Патенты России
Промислова власнiсть: Офiцiйний бюлетень (UA)
Промышленная собственность: Официальный бюллетень (AM)
Товарные знаки, знаки обслуживания и наименования мест происхождения товаров

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information

Just like in previous years the Patent Office performed certain activities to promote international cooperation. the Patent Office's specialists represented Latvia in the working groups of the European Council and the European Commission, participated in the International and regional meetings and seminars organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the European Patent Organization and the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, thus stimulating the exchange of experience, the development of mutual cooperation and the harmonization of standpoints on industrial property issues.
We carry out the international exchange of the patent documentation with many patent offices of different countries, also international organizations WIPO, EPO and regional organization EAPO.

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)

On 26th of April the Latvian Patent Office and the Patent and Technology Library organized an open door day dedicated to the World Intellectual Property Day. The slogan of the Day was: "Encouraging Creativity". In the framework of this event all the visitors could attend database presentations, lectures and exhibitions, get consultations and raise skills in information searching. In all there were more than 80 visitors.
Letters about participation in the EPO Universities Initiative Programme were sent to heads of Latvian universities. The Library gathered information about universities to be invited to take part in the roving workshop on "Dissemination of IP Knowledge in Universities" in Finland. As a result, 12 participants from Latvian universities took part in it.
Participation in PATLIB 2007 Conference in Seville, Spain, 14 – 16 May (7 participants).
Organization of and participation in the Patent Information Conference 2007 in Riga, Latvia, 16 – 18 October. Information booklets were prepared in English. The Library took part in creation of the posters of the conference. The EPO’s brochure "An Introduction to the Databases of Ideas esp@cenet" was translated into English. In the frame of the conference there was organized a seminar on the esp@cenet database. The Library also participated in organizing of the exhibition.
Participation in the 8th Congress of Baltic Librarians "Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Electronic Environment" in Tallinn, Estonia, with a presentation (2 participants).
Participation in the EPO Seminar "EPOQUEnet search (introduction)" – Vienna, Austria (2 participants).
Participation in the EPO Seminar "10th EPO Patent Information Beginners Seminar" - Vienna, Austria (2 participants).
Participation in the EPO Seminar "Workshop on additional tasks for PATLIB Centres" - Vienna, Austria (2 participants).
Exhibitions at the Patent and Technology Library: 2 exhibitions "Inventions of the 20th Century" about 7 Latvian scientists and inventors, who had anniversary in the year 2007. In commemoration of the 120th anniversary of Friedrich Zander there was organized an exhibition and a bibliographical index "120th Anniversary of Friedrich Zander-7 Designer of Rocket Engines" was prepared.
In 2007, there were prepared and printed - brochures in English "Patent and Technology Library" and "Patent Information Department"; a book-mark in English "Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia. Patent and Technology Library"; a brochure in Latvian "History of Latvian Industry".

Experts of the Latvian Patent Office read lectures concerning intellectual property in higher educational institutions of Latvia.

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 patents
http://www.lrpv.lv/index.php?lang=EN&id=15

contain patent-related news regarding the Office
http://www.lrpv.lv/index.php?lang=EN

X. Other relevant matters

In October 2007 the Patent Information Conference organized by the European Patent Office in cooperation with the Latvian Patent Office was held in Riga. The Conference gathered the leading specialists from many countries, offering a great possibility to learn about novelties, solutions to different problems and giving a chance to improve one's knowledge as well.
In 2007 several Latvian inventors and companies received WIPO awards.
On the 2nd March of 2007, the Patent Office celebrated its 15th anniversary. During the festive meeting, the Awards of the Ministry of Justice and the Patent Office's Certificates of Acknowledgement were presented to the employees of the Patent Office in recognition of their contribution to the development of the Office and to emphasize their highly honorable attitude to work.