...
- comprehensive, effective and proactive implementation of governmental tasks and responsibilities in the preparation of legislation related to the protection of intellectual property (industrial property rights and copyright) and research and development activities, with special regard to the needs of European Union and domestic policiepolicies
IV. Performing professional tasks in the field of international and European cooperation in the field of intellectual property
...
Later on, the provisions of the Governement Government Decree were also incorporated into the Copyright Act.
...
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HIPO attached considerable attention and importance to the development of e-administration. As a result of the measures related to the pandemic, the number of applications filed in electronic way increased by 3 to 4 times compared to the earlier period, from 300 to 400 to 1100 per month.
...
In connection with the COVID-19 health crisis, three applications for compulsory licence were received by the Office until 31 December 2020. In each application a compulsory licence was requested for the active substance of the same particular medicinal product, in respect of the three patents which protected it.
As provided for by the relevant Act, the Office dealt with the three applications out of turn and took its decision in a short time frame.
...
The Unified Administrative System of the Office comprise comprises the bibliographic and image data, the documents and the official letters that belong to the different intellectual property rights, namely patent, plant variety protection, spc, utility model, trademark, industrial design.
The public electronic-databases GAZETTE, IP-SEARCH, E-REGISTER, E-DOSSIER are also used by the Examiners. The IP-SEARCH database has an internal version for internal use only with the additional data that are not accessible for the public.
...
In the Frecskay János Special Library, valuable documents related to intellectual property are available, the major part of which cannot be found in other public collections in Hungary. The Office formulated a digitalisation strategy defining the scope of documents recommended for digitalisation in order to make this unique public collection content customer-friendly, available and searchable to the public.
...
Cooperation with universities, research centers, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
In 2020 it was a priority objective to spread IP knowledge and to develop industrial property and copyright culture among enterprises and higher education institutions.
HIPO had cooperation agreements in force with 16 universities in 2020. Besides the existing cooperation agreements, HIPO concluded new and renewed ones with the Hungarian Bridges initiative, the University of Miskolc, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Eötvös Loránd Research Network and the Tungsram-iLex Innovation Marketplace.
Bodies
Several bodies operate alongside HIPO, which plays a determining role in their work. From among these the most important ones are the Hungarian Design Council, the National Board Against Counterfeiting, the Council of Copyright Experts and the Body of Experts on Industrial Property.
The Hungarian Design Council (HDC) assists the competitiveness of the Hungarian national economy with the tools of design culture and design ecosystem. The presidential tasks of the HDC have been performed by the President of HIPO, Gyula Pomázi.
During the seventeen years of its existence, the Design Week Budapest has earned international recognition. The festival, organised from 1 to 11 October 2020, with the slogan Keep it in circulation! expected the visitors with 160 programmes. The webpage, social media sites, online events and newsletters reached more than 350 thousand stakeholders.
The events organised by external partners of the festival also attracted almost 100 thousand participants.
HDC has the responsibility to administer the long-standing Hungarian Design Award, the Design Management Award competition and the Moholy-Nagy László Design Scholarship Programme.
At the Hungarian Design Award competition 11 works won a prize, 4 Hungarian enterprises received the Hungarian Design Award, and in the framework of the Moholy-Nagy László Design Scholarship 8 young designers were given the opportunity to implement their professional programmes.
The electronic Start Up Guide, which has assisted the establishment of young designers’ enterprises for 15 years providing them with up-to-date information, was compiled again and focussed also on features of the pandemic.
National Board Against Counterfeiting
In order to reduce the supply of counterfeit and pirated products, to enhance the effectiveness of enforcement action in the fight against counterfeiting and to mitigate the infringement of IP rights, the National Board Against Counterfeiting (NBAC) draws up proposals for regulation, organises events and information campaigns for awareness raising and conducts surveys. The President of NBAC is Judit Varga, Minister of Justice, its Vice-President is Gyula Pomázi, President of HIPO.
The NBAC has brought about close cooperation with domestic and international stakeholders, and actively participates in the joint actions aiming at the roll back of counterfeit goods (STOP international action against counterfeit medicines and products related to the coronavirus epidemic, confiscation of counterfeit supporter relics and and sports requisites at the UEFA Super Cup).
The launch of the publication “Distinction between grain refuse and wheat – counterfeiting of works of art with Hungarian eyes” was on 26 February 2020. The latest volumes of the NBAC brochures were published, which reviewed the previous year’s events (NBAC – Annual Report 2019) and summarised the board’s researches.
Expert Bodies
The Council of Copyright Experts gives expert opinion to the courts and other authorities on issues arising in copyright legal disputes, and expert opinion may also be requested from the body before the starting of legal proceedings or for out of court purposes. In 2020 the Body received 34 invitations or appointments for giving expert opinion and 2 requests for supplementary expert opinion, concerning 14 types of work. During the year 28 expert opinions were completed.
On legal disputes concerning industrial property rights the courts and other authorities or clients may request the opinion of the Body of Experts on Industrial Property. In 2020 the Body received 9 requests or assignments. With regard to the subject matter of the requests or assignments,
HIPO has contracts for an indefinite period with 16 County Chambers of Commerce and Industry and 6 PATLIB Centres (in Debrecen, Miskolc, Sopron, Pécs, Győr and Szeged) to operate information points of IP protection. These information points provide updated information for clients.
The EPO launches the Patlib 2.0 programme for PATLIB Centres, which aims to renew the Centres and their service portfolio during 2021. In the field of enhancing the IP knowledge of enterprises in 2020, HIPO found an important partner in the magazine Market and Profit (Piac és Profit).
By the conferences co-organised with them, HIPO could reach 900 SMEs with its awareness-raising presentations.
HIPO took part in the HungarianBridges (Hu.B) Reload Hungary programme, operating with 12 member organisations, which as an incubator assists the unfolding of the potential residing in the new generation (secondary school students), and supports the SMEs and bogus self-employed persons to restart their enterprises in realising their innovative ideas.
Renewed IPARJOG call for applications
From July 2020 on, a new funding scheme supports Hungarian economic operators in acquiring IP rights. In the framework of the renewed call of the NRDI Office “Support of activities fostering the domestic and international protection of intellectual property to facilitate the exploitation of those creations” (2020-1.1.3-IPARJOG) one may apply for a flate-rate support for Hungarian, international and European patent, utility model, design and trade mark applicationsmost of them referred to different fields of industrial property protection.
Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
...
As of 1 June 2017, the VPI receives international patent applications from nationals, enterprises and other organisations established in Lithuania, and as of 1 Septmber September 2020 also from Serbian users. Concerning the first Serbian application received by the VPI in 2020, it was HIPO that carried out the requested international search.
...