Annual Technical Report 2008 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by Australia (SCIT/ATR/TM/2008/AU)
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.
I. Evolution of registration activities
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to the previous year
Total TM applications
2007: 108,487
2008: 108,295
Percentage difference: TM applications decreased by 0.2%
Applications Madrid - IRDAs
2007: 21,142
2008: 24,046
Percentage difference: Madrid applications increased by 13.7%
TM Registrations
2007: 77,245
2008: 86,163
Percentage difference: TM Registrations increased by 11.5%
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
There was a downturn in applications during the second half of 2008.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to trademarks
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about/statistics.shtml
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes
Publishing, printing, copying techniques
The Australian Official Journal of Trade Marks (the Journal) is published weekly. There are 50 issues per year - the Easter and Christmas weeks being excluded. The Journal is available on-line, free of charge, via the IP Australia Internet site and contains both bibliographic text and images.
Standard Notices and Letters are produced via the Trade Marks mainframe business application as XEROX XICS output.
Examination Reports are generated in Microsoft Word format
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of trademark information
The Official Journal of Trade Marks contains the following announcements:
- Applications Filed
- Applications Accepted for Registration
- Amendments and Changes
- Applications Lapsed Withdrawn and Refused
- Trade Marks Registered
- Assignments, Transmittals and Transfers
- Cancellation of Entries in Register
- Renewal of Registration of Trade Marks
- Opposition Proceedings
- Removal for Non-use Proceedings
- Official Notices
The IP Australia web-site also provides access to a variety of forms and publications, IP Legislation, Official Notices, Hearings Decisions, Practice & Procedure Manuals, etc
Mass storage media and microforms used
The Office's bibliographic data is maintained on an ADABAS Natural (zOS) mainframe. Trade Mark images (devices) are stored in a Unix file directory. The Office also utilises an e-case (Electronic Document Management System) repository which contains all documentation relating to the prosecution of applications.
Word processing and office automation
Current standard desktop software includes Microsoft Windows XP SP2 with Microsoft Office 2003.
The Office's publication system is partially mainframe based and produces:
- camera ready copy of the Australian Official Journal of Trade Marks;
- trade mark certificates and original register entries; and
- notices for trade mark applicants or their agents.
Techniques used for the generation of trademark information (printing, recording, photocomposing, etc.)
Bibliographic data (ADABAS as XEROX XICS output) and images from Unix are merged for Journal production.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online trademark gazettes and to other sources of trademark information, including download of bulk trademark data
The Australian Official Journal of Trade Marks can be accessed at the following URL: http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/epublish/content/olsEpublications.jsp
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)
Australia classifies goods and services according to the Nice Classification. Australia implemented the 9th Edition of Nice on 1 January 2007, with all applications filed on or after that date being classified according to the 9th Edition. No reclassification of applications/registrations filed prior to 1 January 2007 was undertaken.
Australia does not use the Vienna Classification scheme to classify the figurative elements of marks. Rather, figurative elements are classified (and searched) according to a glossary of device terms developed by the Office. For example, the WIPO device is indexed as follows:
1 ANNULUS 2 CONCENTRIC
3 HAND 4 PEN
5 BOOK,OPEN 6 GRAIN,EAR
7 VIOLIN 8 WHEEL,GEAR
9 MUSICAL-INSTRUMENT
10 CIRCLE+
11 ROUND 12 ROUND+
Each device term may then be used as a search criteria, either singularly or in combination, in order to locate marks with similar device characteristics
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
Applicants are not obliged to use pre-defined classification terms. Checking of goods or services statements is performed manually where the statement is furnished by the applicant.
In 2005, Australia introduced a new on-line application form (e-form) which allows selection of goods/services relating to a Trade Mark via a set of pre-defined classification terms (Pick-list).
In March 2007, a reduced fee was introduced for applicants who specify their goods/services by use of the Pick-list. The fee reduction has resulted in over 50% of electronic filers using the Pick-list functionality. Goods and services statements provided via the Pick-list functionality require no manual checking.
The terms in the Pick-list are also those which form the basis of the Goods and Services help within ATMOSS, the Trade Marks Office searchable database.
Obligation for applicants to use pre-defined terms of the classification applied
There is no obligation for applicants to use pre-defined terms. As mentioned above, the Trade Mark e-form gives applicants the choice to use a pre-defined set of terms (Pick-list) at reduced cost or alternatively to specify their own goods/services.
Bibliographic data and processing
Bibliographic data is stored against each trade mark application in the ADABAS Natural business administration system. Transaction history records are created as this data is updated during the life-cycle of the trade mark.
The business administration system allows access to this data via a variety of search utilities. Data from the ADABAS Natural system is carried in real time to the Australian Trade Marks On-line Search System (ATMOSS) – a mid-range ORACLE web-server application.
ATMOSS allows both internal and public access to bibliographic data, and trade mark images, via the IP Australia internet site, and most customers now use this application in preference to the mainframe.
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
File Building
The EDMS e-case file is established for each trade mark application on filing. The EDMS has been developed in-house using a proprietary Australian EDMS product, Objective. The system is known as TRACS - the Trade mark Records, Applications and Correspondence System.
Updating
The TRACS e-case file is updated (added to) as correspondence is received from the applicant/agent or third party, and additionally, as it is generated by the Office.
TRACS also contains the search material considered by the examiner during the course of substantive examination, and will also contain information relating to Opposition matters if the application proceeds along this path.
Storage, including mass storage media
The TRACS case file stores a variety of Word, Adobe PDF and XML files.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
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V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems
In-house systems (online/offline)
Searching for conflicting marks can be conducted via the mainframe application or ATMOSS. All searching by examiners is conducted through ATMOSS with search extracts then forming part of the search file in TRACS.
External databases
The Office has developed a simple utility to search a number of external databases - principally dictionaries, gazetteers, reference titles, etc - to streamline distinctiveness searching. Examiners routinely search the Internet for the same purpose.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
The primary business system is the ADABAS Natural mainframe application, TMARK, running on IBM zOS. TMARK interfaces to a number of satellite applications, eg Word for production of reports, XICS for publishing output, a couple of mid-range applications for EDI under the Madrid Protocol, an automated data capture utility (ADC) for capturing data received electronically, and ATMOSS. Document management is handled via TRACS.
All processing relating to the life-cycle of a trade mark (apart from financial processing) is conducted within this environment. The Trade Mark Office, along with the Patent and Design Offices in IP Australia is in the process of transitioning its business applications from the mainframe to our strategic server infrastructure environment. This environment includes Sun Solaris, Oracle RDBMS, J2EE, BEA Weblogic, and Objective EDMS.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used
The Canberra Office has an ethernet-based LAN providing high speed bandwidth for each user desktop connection. A DMZ-based, DSD approved firewall using IAN ports (Internet IEFT Assigned Numbers) provides the secure means to allow access from internal systems/users to external entities such as the Internet or public/private organisations.
The current SOE includes Windows XP with Office SE 2003, IE 6.0 SP1, and Lotus Notes.
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)
Planning, administration, automation, security
IP Australia's Customer Service Delivery (CSD)section provides a central contact for customers to obtain information to support their decisions about a wide range of Intellectual Property issues. Customers contact the CSD via telephone, fax and email with around 95% of matters of a general nature solved at the first point of contact. The CSD provides face-to-face, phone, email and web-based assistance through State-based and Canberra Offices as well as general financial receipting and front end processing of attorney and private applicants' lodgements.
The State Offices:
• provide information about patents, trade marks and designs processes;
• maintain search facilities so customers can research Australian patents, trade marks and designs;
• receipt application forms and fees, providing a filing facility for IP documents in each state capital except Darwin;
• raise IP awareness and promote IP Australia’s corporate image in their respective communities by providing general IP presentations and information sessions They also liaise with other government agencies sharing the same customer base to promote our services and publications; and
• act as a referral point for enquiries on other IP areas eg copyright.
IP Australia will begin transitioning away from the use of state offices during the second half of 2009. Increasingly, IP Australia is using its web site as a means of providing an alternative means of public access to these services, such as electronic filing (currently approximately 60% of trade mark applications are filed online), registrations, renewals and trade mark searching via ATMOSS.
IP Australia is currently finalising the design of a system to support business-to-business data exchange of patents, industrial designs and trade marks transactions with its high volume clients (Patents and Trade Mark Attorneys). This system will be consistent with WIPO electronic filing and National e-commerce standards.
Collection management, preservation
All Australian Trade Mark records/documents are handled in accordance with Office procedures set down under Australian Law and archiving practices.
Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and trademark information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)
Information services are available on the IP Australia website.
Holdings for each State Office are listed at http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/contacts.shtml.
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of trademark applications
Electronic Filing:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/trademarks/apply_index.shtml
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide information on business procedures such as: filing, publication, examination and registration procedures related to trademarks; opposition and appeal procedures related to trademarks; etc.
Forms & Publications: http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/forms_trademarks.shtml
Exam & Registration procedures: http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/manuals_trademarks.shtml
TM Headstart
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/trademarks/tmhs_start.shtml
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., trademark search service(s) and trademark databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them
The application process for trade marks: http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/trademarks/process_index.shtml
Applying for International Trade Marks:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/trademarks/international_index.shtml
TM Headstart:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/trademarks/tmhs_start.shtml
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
Largely restricted to the Official Gazette which is available to all users on-line.
Exchange of machine-readable information
SGML/XML (MECA) exchange between IP Australia and the International Bureau.
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)
Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)
Key promotional activities in 2008:
• IP Australia ran an Australia-wide seminar series focussing on SMEs, IP and exporting. The seminar series focussed on educating SMEs on intellectual property issues associated with exporting with particular emphasis on a number of exporting destinations. These countries were chosen based on current export value and differences in their IP system to the system in Australia were explained. http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/ippassport/index.shtml
• In March 2008, IP Australia provided assistance to the INTA conference "Trade Mark Regatta - Asia Pacific" held in Sydney, Australia. The Regatta covered a range of topical trade mark issues and provide the opportunity for TM professionals and brand owners from the Asia Pacific region to interact with senior government officials from around the world. The event attracted around 300 delegates.
• In March 2008, IP Australia also hosted the Senior Trade Mark Officials' Forum in Sydney, Australia. The forum provided an opportunity for officials to learn from each other and consider options for dealing with future challenges. The event was an Australian initiative intended to improve International trade mark liaison and attracted more than 150 delegates.
• IP Australia issued a media release for World IP Day and organised a number of initiatives for World IP Day, including: promotional activities on major national television and radio networks; an on-line forum; and events at all State Offices.
• IP Australia produced two IP "How to" kits targeting the Australian Graphic Design and Industrial Design sectors. The kits were produced in partnership with the Victorian State Government and are titled Protect your Creative and Make your Mark. Through industry consultations and research, the information in each publication was tailored specifically to each audience, ensuring the product was well received by these audiences.
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/forms_general.shtml
• IP Australia developed an advocacy program to assist Australian traders more confidently protect their IP in Japan which included a series of fact sheets and website content dedicated to providing tailored information on trade issues. http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/japan_casestudy_turningjapanese.shtml
Training courses for national and foreign participants
IP Australia hosted three staff from the Intellectual Office of Papua New Guinea (IPOPNG) for a one month intensive trade mark examiner training program.
IP Australia conducted a seminar in Beijing to inform business, IP professionals and government about the Australian IP system and how it works. Three hundred people attended the seminar.
IP Australia conducted 8 Trade Mark searching training courses for our external customers in a number of Australian capital cities.
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
IP Australia hosted a three month leadership training program, the Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) Fellowship Program for six developing nation IP officials. Its objectives were to enhance the management and leadership capability in IP offices in the region through the provision of training and mentoring for mid to senior level overseas IP officials.
IP Australia hosted a three month placement by the IPO Papua New Guinea Legal officer.
IP Australia provided library resources for Vietnam’s National Office of IP.
IP Australia conducted an advanced IP public education and awareness course in Thailand for Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) staff and staff from other Thai Government Agencies.
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 trademarks
Trade Marks Act:
http://www.timebase.com.au/IPAust/index.cfm?fuseaction=Content.Main&id=1400&date=2007-08-03
Trade Marks Regulations:
http://www.timebase.com.au/IPAust/index.cfm?fuseaction=Content.Main&id=2900&date=2008-07-03
contain the Annual Report of the Office
Annual Report:
http://www.innovation.gov.au/Section/AboutDIISR/Documents/AR0708_chapter8.pdf
if necessary, provide further information related to the topics referred to in the current ATR
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provide open source codes related to trademark information systems
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contain trademark-related news regarding the Office
Latest news is featured on the home page of IP Australia's website:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/
Subscription-based mailing lists:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/resources/lists_index.shtml#
X. Other relevant matters
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