Annual Technical Report 2005 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Austria (SCIT/ATR/ID/2005/AT)
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The expression "industrial designs" covers industrial designs and models. Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in this series of Annual Technical Reports.
I. Evolution of registration activities
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Like in 2004, application and registration activity in the design sector has slipped in 2005. The fall is due to the establishment of the Community Utility Model, which has created a second opportunity to apply for design protection for the territory of the Republic of Austria.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes
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The bibliographic data together with the classification symbols, a short description of the design are stored in the industrial design data base on the host system (Siemens BS2000) on magnetic discs. Backup on magnetic tapes.
Databases and office automation
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Industrial design applications are classified according to the International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification).
The classification symbols are allotted by the applicant. The symbols are checked afterwards by the office and, if necessary, corrected.
Bibliographic data and processing for search purposes
Bibliographic data elements and classification symbols are searchable. The images are displayed together with these data elements.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
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No data from other offices are part of the Austrian Design Database.
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
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An online in-house system is installed using an internal industrial design data base. No external database is integrated.
External databases
External online access to the bibliographic data + images + registry information is available via password given by the Austrian Patent Office/Service and Information Center.
Free Online-access for search via application and registration number is available to bibliographic data + next renewal fee to pay.
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The application and registration procedure, the examination for legality, the administration of the design register and the execution of the statistics are completely performed by an EDP management system (SIEMENS BS2000 Host System).
A project to allow for access to the images of industrial designs registered in Austria via the Internet-Information system of the office was started in 2000 and finalized in 2001. The images of industrial designs are displayed in addition to the bibliographic data. This service is liable to a fee.
An electronic registry for Appeals and Nullities including work-flow information is installed. The registry is accessible via the Intranet of the office.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used
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The Austrian Patent Office offers free information services concerning legal questions, details of registration procedures, property rights or due fees, which can be submitted verbally (personally or by phone).
Legal and technical experts of the Austrian Patent Office can be consulted for legal and technical questions in connection with an intellectual property right, a pending application or for an intended application. The legal information service is available personally or by telephone free of charge on all working days.
At the information centre in the Austrian Patent Office information is provided by telephone, e-mail or face-to-face about all national intellectual property applications and granted rights, about published European and international patent applications designated for Austria, as well as about registered international trademarks with effect for Austria, and about community trademarks of the European Union. This information covers all bibliographic data of the mentioned protection rights. This inquiry can also be made in the library by self-service (with support of the library personnel) on computer workstations.
The register administrators of the Austrian Patent Office provide information concerning the current legal status of all effective patents, utility models, semiconductor rights, supplementary protection certificates, trademarks and designs. The officials in charge can be consulted at their consultation hours about specific applications, e.g. the correct trademark or design classification of a sign or product.
Information services of the Service and Information Center (serv.ip, former TRF)
The Service and Information Center of the Austrian Patent Office (serv.ip) started its activities in the fall of 1994 pursuant to the appropriate regulations of the amendment of the Patent Law of 1992 and the corresponding ordinance of 1994. The central purpose of the founding of this enterprise was to offer customer-oriented service and information products in the area of patents, trademarks and designs in a commercial manner. In the field of industrial designs, the following services are offered
Written information:
The Service and Information Sector also establishes written information concerning industrial designs on request.
Uncertified register extract:
This information product concerning , among others, industrial designs covers data with regard to the owner of the property right as well as data of the application and registration.
Express service:
Register extracts as well as written information are supplied within 24 hours after receipt of order by fax and by email upon request.
External on-line information:
Internet access to the database of the Austrian Patent Office for information concerning patents, utility models, designs and supplementary protection certificates is available. Registry status for industrial design is available online.
The homepage of the Austrian Patent Office contains general information as well as detailed references for applicants concerning forms for application and the current fees for all industrial property rights, namely patent, utility model, trademark, design, supplementary protection certificate as well as semiconductor protection. All register data, especially information about time limit and amount of the next annual fee, are free of charge. Full access to the database of the Austrian Patent Office, which covers all property rights for Austria according to different search criteria, e.g. owner, inventor, international patent classification, application and register number, is made possible by using a password.
Address of the Austrian Homepage: http://www.patentamt.at
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
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Training courses are held for patent experts from developing countries in co-operation with the WIPO since 1977. Patent information and documentation are the main topics. The participants in the WIPO/Austria Training Course 2005 came from Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Malawi, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Thailand and Ukraine.
The program of the course provided practical training in the use of the International Patent Classification for file organization and searching as well as in the methodology of retrieving information from patent literature in search files and from online databases for patent examination, state-of-the-art searches and other technological information purposes.
Furthermore the curriculum included a demonstration of the Austrian Patent Office's operation and administration, applications of the Internet as well as CD-ROM technology and utilization.
The training course provided also information about international treaties such as TRIPS, PCT, SPLT and EU-COMPAT as well as basic knowledge about trademarks and design.
IX. Other relevant matters
For further information about activities of the office in 2005, one may also refer to the “Annual Report of the Austrian Patent Office 2005”, published in German and English on the Homepage of the office http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2005 .