Annual Technical Report 2011 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by Ireland (CWS/ATR/TM/2011/IE)
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
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The main channels for distribution of trade mark information are:
a) The Patents Office Journal – advertisement of Trade Mark applications and registrations and information on changes to the status of trade mark e.g. withdrawals, refusals, lapses etc.
b) The Patents Office website – trademark information e.g. application process, classification, searching etc. Important announcements in relation to trademarks e.g. changes in legislation are displayed on the home page under ‘What’s New’.
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
Patents Office website: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/homepage.aspx
Download a pdf version of the Journal: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/publications_download.aspx
A search/browse facility is also available: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/webjournal/default.aspx
Trademark information: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/trademark.aspx
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of trademark information
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The Irish Patents Office uses the “Nice Agreement Concerning International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purpose of the Registration of Marks” (NICE Classification) 9th edition. For figurative marks the office uses a version of the Vienna classification system.
The Patents Office also offers assistance on classification through use of the EUROCLASS tool. EUROCLASS was developed as a cooperation project with the OHIM and national trade mark offices from a number of EU member states. It is hosted by the OHIM website and may also be accessed from the pages dealing with trade mark classification on the Patents Office website.
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
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The Office has an Information Centre in Kilkenny. This provides general information concerning intellectual property rights to the public as well as dealing with specific queries such as the provision of certified copies of documents, etc. Workstations are available for the public giving access to the Trade Mark Register and the Public Search facility. The Office website is linked into the OHIM and WIPO search facility offering the possibility of accessing CTM and International trade mark information.
The Office's website also provides an online payment system which facilitates the payment of patent, trade mark and design renewal fees, patent grant fees and trade mark registration fees by credit and debit cards.
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)
The following services are available online:
a) View and search the Trade Mark register and databases
b) Pay your trade mark registration and renewal fees online
c) View the decisions of the Controller in trade mark inter-parte cases
d) Search and view the Patents Office Journal
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.
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During 2011, the Office sought to increase cooperation with The Enterprise Europe Network, Enterprise Ireland and the County Enterprise Boards through delivering a further series of one-day regional seminars, aimed at the ‘small business’ community, entrepreneurs and inventors, on the theme of ‘Building a Business on Your Ideas’. The seminars focused on making business more aware of IP, of the possibilities to exploit the value of the IP inherent in most businesses and the support structures that are available for small businesses and start-ups from the State and Europe. Seven of these seminars took place in 2011 in Cork, Galway, Dundalk, Kilkenny, Dublin, Waterford and Sligo in conjunction with the Institutes of Technology. Over 600 people in total attended, with a number of seminars fully booked or at capacity.
In line with its strategic objective to increase awareness of IP among the public, the Office continued with its outreach efforts directed particularly at the small business start-up sector and students. Altogether, the Office participated in some 16 events speaking on IP at start your own business courses and at business advice and enterprise exhibitions and shows.
The Patents Office held 27 IP clinics in 2011. The clinics give an opportunity to members of the public, inventors, entrepreneurs and business people to discuss with Patents Office staff on a one to one basis, their ideas and matters concerning IP (patent, trade mark or design) applications they intend to make or have already made to the Office. This approach can be particularly helpful in providing basic guidance on procedures and forms required for the registration of IP rights, the process of obtaining IP protection in Ireland or abroad and the timeframes involved. Assistance in constructing a do-it-yourself search strategy for patents, trademarks or registered designs and accessing and using online patent, trade mark and design data-bases was also provided.
IX. Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:
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The 2011 Annual Report is available in pdf format at the following address:
http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/publications_report.aspx
contain trademark-related news regarding the Office
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The Office has successfully progressed one of its strategic objectives of using technology in order to facilitate e-business activities and the dissemination of intellectual property information via its website.
The website facilitates the perusal of Irish patent, trade mark and design registers on-line and free of charge. In addition, a computerised search facility facilitates the inspection of details of Irish pending and registered trademarks. The Office's website also permits free access to the OHIM and WIPO databases. On-line access to the Office's Official Journal is also provided free of charge, is searchable and allows for flexible viewing of trade marks in colour.
The Office's website also provides an online payment system which facilitates the payment of patent, trade mark and design renewal fees, patent grant fees and trade mark registration fees by credit and debit cards and continues to be used by more and more of our customers. 89% of the Office’s statutory fees are now paid electronically compared to 64% in 2010.
Since 2010, the Office has pursued an e-communications programme which has the aim of improving service delivery and more efficient processing. The project initially facilitated the issuing of thousands of renewal reminders and overdue reminders electronically by Email instead of by post and was further expanded to include other correspondence in 2010 and 2011. Some 12,000 items of correspondence are now issued by Email each month. The objective is to combine electronic filing, electronic file processing and electronic communications in a way that will facilitate the introduction of paperless processing in the Office in the next few years.
In 2011 the Office introduced an electronic drop box which facilitates the submission of encrypted patent, trade mark and design applications and associated documents electronically and securely via the Internet. The drop box facility is not for single or one off applications but rather is for use by persons or firms which make or intend to make a number of applications for intellectual property rights in the course of a year. At the end of 2011, 10 firms were availing of the electronic drop box facility.