Annual Technical Report 2006 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by Bulgaria (SCIT/ATR/TM/2006/BG)
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I. Evolution of registration activities
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to the previous year
Since 6.10.2006 entered into force alteration and supplement to the law for trade-marks and geographic symbols, which settles the statute of the community trade-mark, the procedure for the order for mark of the community. This procedure will come into force with Bulgaria’s integration into the European community. The most important change is with respect to the publishing of the applications and more precisely the non-publishing of those having accelerated expertise in order to preserve the conventional priority.
In relation with the previous year, there were no changes in the filing requirements and examination procedures for
registration of marks.
The data on the filing applications for the registration of trademarks are as follow:
- Under the National Law - 9170;
- Under the Madrid Agreement - 6690.
The total of the applications indicate an increase of 958 marks compared to the number of such applications filed
in 2005.
The data for the registrations are as follow:
- National marks - 3 557
- Under the Madrid Agreement - 6708.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
There is not for 2005.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes
Publishing, printing, copying techniques
The Official Bulletin of the Bulgarian Patent Office is published every month i.e 12 issues per year. In the official bulletin we publish applications for trade-marks with bibliographic data, when necessary – in color.
The bulletin contains information on the trademarks (bibliographical data and reproductions) entered in the State Register and also appellations of origin. In addition, the bulletin contains the announcements of all changes of the legal status, modifications and cancellations.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of trademark information
Applications - 4213
- Registered marks- 3304
- Renewals
- Transfers of rights
- Modifications of owner's names/addresses
- Licenses
- Cancellations
- Limitation of goods/services
Mark applications, registrations and renewals are generated automatically by the Common Software (CS) and published. The Certificates for registrations, all changes and renewals are produced automatically by the CS
Mass storage media and microforms used HDD on Server
Word processing and office automation
Windows XP, MSWord 6.0, MSWord 2000, Page Maker 6.5 plus.
Techniques used for the generation of trademark information (printing, recording, photocomposing, etc.)
A publishing system with a HP Scan Jet scanner, a Las. Printer HP Laser Jet, PC Intel Pentium Based with Windows XP as OS and Page Maker 6.5 plus. All data are extracted from the CS and the figurative elements also.
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of trademark information
in order to classify goods and services, BPO uses the eight edition of the Nice International Classification of goods and services. For the classification of figurative elements the fifth edition of Vienna Classification is used.
We use the contained in the CS list of goods and services, according to the Nice Classification and the NIVILO CD-ROM.
Obligation for applicants to use pre-defined terms of the classification applied : it is not requested by our Trademark Law.
Bibliographic data and processing for search purposes: the Office uses an Automation Search System (ASS). There is QBE for bibliographic data in CS and we also use ROMARIN.
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
A manual search is not used since 1996.
Trademark bulletins of foreign offices, ROMARIN DVD from WIPO and Community-mark bulletin on CDs from OHIM are received, but only the ROMARIN data-base is considered as a part of our serach for examination. The other data-bases are used for purposes of public services.
V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems
- In-house systems (online/offline):
CS v. 3.30 - administrative management system;
Acsepto v. 7.0.6.3 - search system for examiners;
Romarin - International Trademark Information Database; BPO_pn1ine - Web-based service for public access to information of the registered trademarks in BPO.
- External databases:
1. USA databases on CD-ROM - CASSIS:
2. TRACES CD-ROM;
3. OHIM database on CD-ROM;
4. 6-ter CD-ROM;
5. NIVILO CD-ROM.
6. Replacement of the used up till now TASS with the new one Acsepto is coming. Both systems are products of the company SWORD, France.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, administrative support, etc.):
CS v. 3.30
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used:
Hardware:
Server: HP rp 3400;
Workstations: Intel Pentium based PCs, about 60;
Software:
Server: UNIX 1 l.xx as OS, Informix v. 7.31.FD5 as DBMS
Workstations: Windows'XP as OS, MS Office as documents management, etc.;
Carriers used: CDs, DVDs.
VI. Administration of trademark information products and 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)
Searches in the field of registered and filed for registration trademarks are executed on request. We are doing searches in other countries on-line and on CD-ROM collections -"ROMARIN", "TRACES", "OHIM", "CASSIS".
The security is based on the different kind of access.
Excerpt from the State Register and all information published after the registration of the marks is accessible for the public.
The trademark database is accessible on the World Wide Web of our office by our new On-line search system for Trademarks - "BPO ON-LINE". As a result of an agreement with EBR Consult a new version of the application ВРО_online is developed, which includes changes in the functionality and the graphic design. The constantly growing interest to the service is to worth noting, as in 2006 the number of the attended searches increased with 44% and the number of the visits for using the service – 3 times.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of trademark documentation and information
The Bulgarian Patent Office receives by WIPO “The WIPO Gazette of international Marks” -on paper and DVD and the “ROMARIN” DVD. The Bulletin of OHIM - on CD-ROM and the Official bulletins of other offices.
We are sending monthly our Official Bulletin on paper to 39 other offices.
We are sending every three months our trademark database, according to the TRACES project, for creating the Common CD-ROM for some countries - Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria
VIII. Matters concerning education and training including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)
1..Participation of the delegation of Bulgarian Patent Office as observer in the work of the Administrative council and the Budget committee of OHIM.
2. Participation of representatives of the Office to the sessions of the work groups between experts of OHIM and the National offices: first meeting in technical cooperation and those in the sphere of the trade-marks and the industrial designs.
3. Participation of the personnel of BPO in a series of trainings and seminars concerning work with searching systems, building information net, organized by OHIM
4. Participation in the exhibition „Vinarija 2006” with a consultative stand in March
5. Celebration of the “World day of the intellectual property -26 April.
6. Participation in the campaign for fighting piracy and fakes together with the Ministry of culture –preparation of the campaign and culmination of the festival “Intellectual property rights”in Ruse-9-12 May
7. Third international science conference in the frame of the 7th International exhibition for defense engineering „Hemus+-2006” – June
8. Seminar “Challenges in prosecution of crimes against intellectual property - Hisarja, June
9. Regional seminar in trade-marks, geographic symbols and industry design, together with the Chamber of industry – Rousse, June
10. National conference „Unity of action between national and European institutions – key factor for the development of intellectual property”-Sofia, 19-20 October
11. Round-table in the Center of IP in Varna with topic “Problems of the border and customs control in protecting the industrial property rights during the integration of Republic of Bulgaria with European union”-23-24 November
12. Training in search of trade-marks of the company SWORD-22-26 March 2006
13. Organization and participation in a series of training seminars for the medias under the heading of “Basic notions in IP” for the medias, respectively:
„Geographic symbols – nature, request, expertise, range of legal protection ”,
„Requesting trade-marks abroad. Madrid agreement, “ Mark of the European community”,
“Administrative – penal amenability in violating rights on trade-marks and designs”.
14.Regional seminar in trade-marks, geographic symbols and industrial design – legal aspects, 29 June, PATLIB center, Ruse, for representatives of SME and regional business;
15.Regional seminar “Changes in the legislation in the sphere of industrial property, 14 December, PATLIB center, Plovdiv, for SME from the region, patent representatives;
IX. Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
X. Other relevant matters