Annual Technical Report 2002 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by Lithuania (SCIT/ATR/TM/2002/LT)
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I. Evolution of registration activities
Application filings and registrations in 2002:
2558 applications filed direct with the State Patent Bureau of the Republic of Lithuania (SPB), from which 65.8% applications originating in Lithuania (including 143 international applications);
1769 trademarks registered;
4654 notifications to extend protection of international registrations to Lithuania received;
4096 positive decisions to grant international trademark protection in Lithuania made.
Compared with 2001 the number of:
filings direct with the SPB increased by 6.6%;
filings originating in Lithuania increased by 23.2%;
Lithuanian trademark registrations decreased by 48.8%;
international registrations extensions decreased by 7.2%;
positive decisions to grant international protection in Lithuania increased by 19.0%.
Lithuania, United States of America, Germany and United Kingdom are the leading countries of origin as reflected in filings in 2002.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes
The Official Gazette on Inventions, Designs, Trademarks and Service Marks, Firm Names contains announcements published in 2002 on the trademark registrations:
"FG9Y Registrations published in accordance with Article 16 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"MF9Y Registrations invalidated in accordance with Article 18 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
Registrations left valid by court
"PD9Y, TC9Y, TH9Y Changes in the Register on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with Article 23 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"PA9T Replacement of national registration by international registration in accordance with Article 33 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"MK9Y Expiration of registration of the mark in accordance with Article 36 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"ND9Y Renewal of registration of the mark in accordance with Article 36 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"MM9Y Registrations lapsed in accordance with Article 24 and Article 36 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"PC9Y Transfer of registration of the mark in accordance with Article 43 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"QB9Y Licensing (sublicensing) in accordance with Article 44 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"QC9Y Licensing (sublicensing) contracts removed from the Register in accordance with Article 44 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"MG9Y Registrations invalidated in accordance with Article 46 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"MA9Y Registrations removed from the Register in accordance with Article 24 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"RC9Y Pledging of the mark in accordance with Article 45 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania";
"TK9Y Rectifications";
"MF9T Invalidation of international registration extension to the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with Article 34 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania".
Sections of the Official Gazette are coded in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.17.
The Official Gazette is prepared using DTP tools, printed and may be obtained at Lithuanian Technical Library (LTL).
The data of the Register of Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania and data on applications filed are also available on SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt).
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of trademark information
Registrations have been classified in accordance with:
eighth edition of the International (Nice) Classification;
fifth edition of the International (Vienna) Classification.
Internationally agreed Numbers for the Identification of Data (INID Codes) relating to marks were used in the Register and in the Official Gazette.
From December 2002, the database of the International Classification of Goods and Services is available on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt).
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
The internal file of the SPB contains Lithuanian Official Gazette.
The exchange of the Official Gazette of the SPB with foreign states and intergovernmental organisations is effected by LTL, and this way LTL is updated with national and foreign documentation.
LTL file contains national and foreign Official Gazettes.
The card index "Protection of Industrial Property in Lithuania" is maintained and file of Lithuanian trademark applications (on paper) is also open to the public access at LTL.
V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems
The Register of Trademarks is a database (Informix) which contains all bibliographic and legal status data (including changes in names, addresses, licences, transfers).
Database of the Trademark Applications and Registrations of the Republic of Lithuania is available on SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt).
Public users have also a possibility to use the following LTL DVD-ROMs and CD-ROMs:
"TRACES";
"EUROM";
"Trademarks BIB ";
"ROMARIN (Biblio)";
"ROMARIN (Images) ";
"Article 6ter".
LTL is an access provider to the website http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm, and provides an opportunity to order trademark search.
VI. Administration of trademark services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering trademarks, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts)
LTL offers to its visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with a wide range of Lithuanian publications: Official Gazettes of SPB, foreign documents on DVD-ROMs and CD-ROMs, SPB annual reports, 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 website http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm, and provides an opportunity to order patent search.
The official publications of SPB may be obtained at LTL.
The distribution of official publications of SPB in foreign states and intergovernmental organisations on the basis of mutual exchange is effected also by LTL.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of trademark documentation and information
In 2002 the official gazette of the SPB was distributed in 44 foreign states and intergovernmental organisations (AM, AT, BA, BG, BY, BX, CA, CH, CZ, DE, DK, EE, EM, EP, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, JP, KG, KZ, LV, MC, MD, MK, NO, PL, RO, RU, SE, SI, SK, TJ, TM, TR, UA, US, UZ, WO, YU) on the basis of mutual exchange.
While the monthly batches of bibliographic and legal status data on trademarks were sent to COMPU-MARK.
VIII. Matters concerning education and training including technical assistance to developing countries
Lithuanian specialists took part in the following events:
PATLIB2002;
EAC 2002.
Foreign and Lithuanian press published articles on the improvement of the Lithuanian industrial property information system.
IX. Other relevant matters
During the year 2002 the replies of the Lithuanian party to SCIT 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 2002, Lithuanian industrial property statistical data were submitted to WIPO to be published in its publication "Industrial Property Statistics".