Annual Technical Report 2004 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by China (SCIT/ATR/TM/2004/CN)
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I. Evolution of registration activities
In 2004, China’s application for trademark registration kept soaring and hit a new height. CTMO in total accepted 587,926 applications for goods and service marks registration, 136,000 more than that of 2003, increased by 30.04%. Among them, 527,591 were domestic applications, accounting for 89.74% of the total, 30.07% more than that of 2003; Foreign applications exceeded 60,000 for the first time, reaching 60,355 (15,396 of them were Madrid applications for territorial extension), making up 10.26% of the total, 29.82% more than that of 2003.
In 2004, CTMO approved 266,619 applications for registration, 24,108 or 9.94% over that of 2003. By the end of 2004, the accumulative number of China’s registered trademarks had reached 2.24 million.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes
The CTMO extracts text and image data by the process of scanning, typing and proofreading to generate two kinds of trademark electronic archives. In the succedent procedure of trademark registration, the trademark image and text information will automatically be sent to the desktop of the staff and the trademark notification system from the central database.
The CTMO had already published 4 issues of Official Gazette in paper regularly every month. In the second half of 2004, CTMO began to publicize Decision on Trademark Opposition to the public in the Opposition Special of Trademark Gazette, which was also available in China Trademark Website. (http://www.ctmo.gov.cn/)
Since September 2004, the CTMO has begun to emphasize on achieving online service, based on the complete automation of procedures of Trademark Registration and Administration.
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of trademark information
The CTMO employs “International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks” (Nice classification) for classification of goods and services, and makes detailed reclassifications on goods and services on the basis of Nice Classification (eighth edition). The CTMO also uses “Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks” for indexing the figurative elements of design marks.
The CTMO has established the computer aided classification system to promote the automation of trademark information management.
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
The CTMO has set up its trademark archives depot with the computer assisted management. In April 2004, CTMO successfully completed reconstruction and removal of the archives depot, and managed to remove 2,690,000 volumes of trademark archives, 250,000 new application materials that need to be scanned, Trademark Gazettes and so on. The reconstructed archives depot now enjoys new equipments and more available room, which makes it more modernized and will surely contribute to management of trademark archives.
V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems
There operates two independent trademark electronic databases in CTMO intranet. In 2004, Online Searching System, which provides searching services to the public, was finished and was in trial use now since January 2005.
In 2004, The CTMO updated its hardware equipments of trademark system, built up the capability of CPU and enlarged the capacity of the storage equipment.
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)
The CTMO has been constantly improving trademark services. China Trademark Website (www. ctmo. gov. cn) was open to the public to offer the trademark-related information, and release the latest 12 issues of Trademark Gazette. In December 2004, CTMO began to publicize Decision on Trademark Opposition to the public in China Trademark Website, and achieved the first target, online publication, of Phase III of the Automation of Trademark Registration and Administration. The online searching system has been developed and was now in trial use in small range.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of trademark documentation and information
The tapping points on “China Trademark Website” in 2004 exceeded 100 million person-times, with an average points of 300 thousand person-times per day. Up to now, visitors from 49 foreign countries have browsed “China Trademark Website” with the tapping points of 2.77 million person-times.
With the close cooperation between CTMO and OHIM, China-EU IPR Cooperation Program S2 Vertical Element was started in December 2002, and Completed successfully in July 2004.
VIII. Matters concerning education and training including technical assistance to developing countries
CTMO propagandizes trademark knowledge through the wide use of such media as television, radio, newspaper, magazine and Internet.
In addition, in 2004, the CTMO hosted 62 visiting foreign delegations, dispatched 40 missions abroad all together, introducing to some countries our trademark processing procedure and technique and offering detailed explanation to the questions that visitors concerned.
IX. Other relevant matters