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IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
In 2016, the most important event on the field of IT in the Estonian Patent Office was the introduction of new software package Back Office for trade marks and designs. Said system was developed by the OHIM Cooperation Fund and customized to meet the neeeds of the Estonian Patent Office. Back Office replaces Common Software that was in use since 1996, and enables to carry out electronic examination of trade marks and industrial designs. The system is linked to many IT-interfaces and X-road solutions. The new system enables to send digitally signed documents, to check data in the business register and population register, to use the address register to enter Estonian addresses, to check a person’s data in the European Union and United Nations consolidated list. It is also linked to a financial service which is a subsystem of the register of taxable persons – a register that administers the financial claims of the country and keeps account how these are fulfilled.
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V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION
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In 2016, the Estonian Patent Office arranged or helped arrange 27 information events in order to raise the awareness of intellectual property. Regular seminars concerning the protection of inventions, trade marks and industrial designs took place in the classroom of the Patent Office and round table meetings was arranged with the patent attorneys.
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Cooperation with universities, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
In autumn 2016, WIPO started a pilot project called “Baltic States Pilot Project for the Development of a Regional Pool of IP Commercialization Experts” where 17 universities from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia take part. This is a capacity building program for regional professionals to develop necessary competences in the area of knowledge transfer and IP commercialization. As a result, a regional pool of experts and a cooperation network between Baltic universities will be established. The project will be carried out from 2016 to 2017.
For the second year, we took part in the Estonian Contest for Young Inventors, where the WIPO Schoolchildren’s Trophy was handed over to a clever inventor. Anneli Simmul, chief examiner of the patent department, started working at the evaluation committe of this competition.
Education and training: training courses, e learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
In 2016 the cooperation with county development centres (Järva County Development Centre, Rapla County Development Centre, Harju County Entrepreneurship and Development Consultancy, Saaremaa Development Centre) and Tallinn City Enterprise Department became more extensive – joint events were organized where the importance of intellectual property protection was empathized. The products and experience in the field of IP protection of several enterprises (Ulaelu Ltd., Creative Woodworks Ltd., Leisi Lapikoda Ltd. and Digimist Ltd.) were also introduced.
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Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to industrial design information
2016, WIPO started a pilot project called “Baltic States Pilot Project for the Development of a Regional Pool of IP Commercialization Experts” where 17 universities from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia take part. This is a capacity building program for regional professionals to develop necessary competences in the area of knowledge transfer and IP commercialization. As a result, a regional pool of experts and a cooperation network between Baltic universities will be established.
Assistance to developing countries
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