Annual Technical Report 2002 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by Russian Federation (SCIT/ATR/TM/2002/RU)
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I. Evolution of registration activities
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to the previous year
In 2002, as a result of the adoption of the Federal Law on Amendments and Updates to the Law of the Russian Federation on Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin, draft normative legal acts, governing the compilation, filing and examination of applications for trademarks and appellations of origin, were prepared.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
The data on the filing of applications for the registration of trademarks in the Russian Federation in 2001 and 2002, shown in the table, indicate a slight decline in the number of such applications filed in 2002, which was the result of applications by Russian inventors. However, the number of trademarks and service marks registered in 2002 was, on average, twice as high as in 2001. (See Table of attachment.)
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes
Publishing, printing, copying techniques
In 2002, 22,181 announcements of trademark registration were published.
The official gazette is published with the help of automated systems using information collected in databases. The page proofs of the original mock-up are produced and then printed on a film which is sent to the printshop. Trademark publications are produced by means of offset printing.
During preparation for publication of the trademark information gazette, an electronic carrier is used, produced at the examination stage.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of trademark information
The official gazette of Rospatent, entitled Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin, is published every two weeks, i.e. 24 issues a year.
The gazette contains information on the trademarks and service marks (bibliographical data and illustrations) entered in the State Register of Trademarks and Service Marks, and also appellations of origin (bibliographical data and description). In addition, the gazette contains announcements of changes in the legal status of certificates, as well as systematic and numerical indexes of trademark certificates, and a numerical index of certificates for the right to use appellations of origin.
An annual index to the gazette was also published and optical disks entitled Trademarks of the Russian Federation continued to be issued – 12 disks (one per month).
In 2001, users began to be offered a retrospective set on DVD: one disk contains an array of trademark information for the years 1991-2001. This is distributed together with the software MIMOSA.
Mass storage media and microforms used
Data are stored on paper, diskettes and optical disks, as well as in the form of databases or arrays.
Word processing and office automation
In the Russian Federation Trademarks Automated System, the main preparations for carrying out examinations using paperless search arrays, for both verbal and figurative trademarks, were completed.
The software, devised by Rospatent for work with a trilingual version of the eighth edition of the International Classification of Goods and Services (ICGS), was introduced.
The software provides automated processing of a list of goods and services for trademark registration applications filed with Rospatent.
For trademark publications, information transmitted for publication in electronic form is used, and a system of automatic page proofs for the trademark gazette and certificates was also devised.
Techniques used for the generation of trademark information (printing, recording, photocomposing, etc.)
Technological equipment allowing ready printed copies to be produced in the form of printed editions and facsimiles (photocopies) is used to prepare for printing and production. This equipment comprises machines for printing processes, printing information in facsimile form, microfilming and printing microfilms (microfiches).
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of trademark information
Classification and reclassification activities; Classification systems used, e.g., International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification), International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks (Vienna Classification), other classification (please indicate whether goods and services for the registration of marks and whether the figurative elements of marks are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification(s) is (are) used)
From January 2002 onwards, Rospatent used the eighth edition of the ICGS to classify goods and services.
The International Classification of Figurative Elements of Marks is used to classify figurative elements.
The recommended WIPO Standard (ST60) is used to index bibliographical data.
Use of electronic classification systems to check the classification symbols furnished by an applicant and which are contained in the lists of goods and/or services
In order to check classification symbols used by applicants in a list of goods and/or services, electronic classification systems are used allowing each term presented by an applicant to be checked against the ICGS and a decision to be taken for examination purposes.
Obligation for applicants to use pre-defined terms of the classification applied
In application documents, applicants must use the terms of the ICGS.
Bibliographic data and processing for search purposes
Bibliographical data are processed for search purposes with the aid of a number of automated search systems (ASS) as part of the Russian Federation Trademarks Automated System.
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
File Building
The collection of trademark gazettes, published separately, is arranged alphabetically by country name and, for individual countries, in chronological order.
The trademark manual search file is arranged on the basis of the following information arrays:
a file of designations claimed as trademarks in the Russian Federation and filed directly with Rospatent (national procedure);
a file of trademarks registered in accordance with the national procedure;
a file of international marks claimed and registered under the Madrid Agreement;
a file of figurative elements of trademarks;
a file of literary information sources.
Updating
The trademark manual search file is updated by adding trademark applications filed both under the national procedure and the Madrid Agreement, newly arrived literature, and new acquisitions of official publications of Rospatent and the WIPO International Bureau.
Machine-readable data arrive on a daily basis by electronic communication means, relating to international applications covering the whole of the territory of the Russian Federation, and the information is inputted without a keyboard, for subsequent multipurpose use within the Russian Federation Trademarks Automated System.
Storage, including mass storage media
Data are stored on paper, diskettes and optical disks, as well as in the form of databases or arrays.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
Optical disks received from WIPO and countries such as Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, United States of America and so on are used as part of the search file.
V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems
In-house systems (online/offline)
Since 1991, Rospatent has used databases of published trademarks on optical CD-ROMs entitled Trademarks of Russia. Also used are databases supplied through the Internet, which include information previously published on the above CD-ROMs and internationally registered trademark databases operating on Russian territory.
Software has been devised for work with the trilingual version of ICGS-8, integrated with the Russian Federation Trademarks Automated Examination System
External databases
Experts use the external Questel-Orbit databases as well as those freely available on the Internet.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics, administrative support, etc.)
The Russian Federation Trademarks Automated System functions on the basis of a computer system set up as part of the unified local corporate PEVM network. Information on all trademarks valid on the territory of the Russian Federation and all trademarks filed for registration is inputted into the Automated System on a weekly basis.
Technology has been introduced for reviewing and processing documents at the preliminary examination and examination stages of a claimed designation, envisaging the automated preparation of all types of outgoing correspondence at the preliminary examination stage, and also decisions and examination requests for a claimed designation.
Trademarks are selected as basic industrial property subject matter for the application of basic functions of paperless technology. In 2002, work was completed on the TM-EXAM-SEARCH system for examining trademarks and its operational testing began. Work began on the detailed specification of the automated TM-ADMIN system for managing the circulation of electronic documents relating to trademark examinations.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used
Equipment used:
Compaq Proliant 1000 Server
(OM – 128 MB, processors – 1, external memory – 3.5GB)
Compaq Proliant 5000 Server
(OM – 256 MB, processors – 2, external memory – 38 GB)
Compaq Proliant 2500 Server
(OM – 32 MB, processors – 1, external memory – 8 GB)
(OM – 64 MB, processors – 1, external memory – 3 GB)
Compaq 486, 586 workstations, PMMX, PII, Fujitsu-Siemens – 310 units.
Switching equipment:
Equipment for lines ISDN MAX 200Plus c (8/4) WAN PCMCIA
Typell/Typel; Smart Switch 6000
Software:
Novell, Windows95/98, Windows NT, Windows 2000 operating systems.
Media used:
Magnetic tape DLT tape III, DLT tape IV.
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)
Planning, administration, automation, security
Arrangement of collections, storage
The collection of trademark gazettes, published separately, is arranged alphabetically by country name and, for individual countries, in chronological order.
Public information services
In 2002, issues of trademark gazettes represented approximately 10,000 storage units on paper carriers, and 6,000 optical disks were viewed by users.
For information users in the field of trademarks, services relating to the provision of the various types of information searches are on offer.
The Federal Industrial Property Institute (FIPS) issues information on trademarks registered in the Russian Federation, on CD-ROM and DVD. Users are provided with annual sets containing complete information in the Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin gazette (including illustrations). Disks are distributed together with the software MIMOSA, which allows searches of bibliographical data, ICGS indexes, a list of goods and/or services, as well as a combination thereof, to be made.
A set of information current for 2002 was issued once a month on a cumulative basis – the first disk contained information for January 2002, while each subsequent disk contained the information from the previous disk and was updated by current information.
In 2002, users were offered a retrospective set on DVD containing trademark information for the years 1991 to 2001. The set is distributed together with the software MIMOSA.
Through the Internet (www.rupto.ru), Rospatent provides access to a Russian trademarks database which contains around 195,000 Russian trademark certificates from 1991 to 2002 inclusive, and which is updated monthly. In 2002, access was obtained through the Internet to the Appellations of Origin database, and also to a database of international trademarks containing the designation Russia (approximately 110,000 from 1980 to 2002; updated monthly).
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of trademark documentation and information
International or regional cooperation in the exchange of trademark information, e.g., in the form of official gazettes
Within the framework of international exchange in 2002, Rospatent sent its official Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin gazette to foreign countries:
in paper format, 43 annual sets to 41 countries;
on microfiches, 17 annual sets to 15 countries.
Four hundred and eighteen copies of trademark gazettes and sections containing information on trademarks in industrial property gazettes in paper format, as well as 121 copies on optical disks, were received from 45 countries and three international organizations.
Exchange of machine-readable information
In 2002, 121 copies of trademark gazettes and sections containing information on trademarks in industrial property gazettes were received on optical disks from WIPO and countries such as Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States of America.
VIII. Matters concerning education and training including technical assistance to developing countries
Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)
Various aspects of trademark protection were discussed at events such as a seminar on the enforcement of rights to intellectual property subject matter and licensing-agreement relations, a seminar on the protection of the rights of applicants, patent owners and trademark owners, and a conference and round table entitled Protection of Industrial Property Subject Matter in Russia as part of the “Archimedes-2002” Exhibition.
Training courses for national and foreign participants
The retraining program course entitled An A to Z of Trademarks continued at the Russian State Intellectual Property Institute (RGIIS).
IX. Other relevant matters