Annual Technical Report on Patent Information Activities in 2016 submitted by the Russian Federation

I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PATENT INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of patent information activities and expected time frames for their realization

Development of information technology (hereinafter referred to as ‘IT’) is being carried out in five main areas:

- development of electronic interaction with applicants;

- electronic record keeping and optimization of record-keeping processes;

- Information support of users;

- inter-departmental electronic interaction;

- development of hardware and software infrastructure.

On the site of Rospatent, the goals, objectives and plans of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property are published in the section "Plans of Rospatent's activities":

http://www.rupto.ru/about/strategy.

New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks

In order to enable electronic record-keeping during the provision of State services, the following work was undertaken at the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (hereinafter referred to as FIPS) in 2016:

-   operability and fitness for purpose of FIPS information systems and resources was ensured, including the Electronic State Registers for Inventions and Utility Models (hereinafter referred to as EGR).

-   a system for official Internet publication of information on intellectual property subject matter from the EGR was implemented and trialed.

-   examiner’s departments were re-deployed to the preparation of electronic correspondence and electronic signing thereof in the automated information system of paperless prosecution of invention examinations.

- In 2016, modernized software was introduced for the prosecution of legal decisions of the Chamber of Patent Disputes (PPS)- ASBBD ‘PPS’. As a result of this, the department of legal representation was given the opportunity to conduct office work electronically, and the ability to make entries in all State Registers directly from the records management system.

-   Operation continued of the PCT Electronic Applications Library automated system

-   Operation continued of the system for filing and receiving electronic invention applications. The electronic invention application filing service has been integrated with the automated information system of paperless prosecution of invention examinations.

-   Operation continued of an automated paperless prosecution system for examining applications to amend entries in the registers for inventions and utility models (including extending and renewing the validity of a patent) (Patent Prosecution).

The transition to paperless prosecution has had a positive influence on the work of expert staff and interaction between subdivisions involved in registration activities. The transition to electronic prosecution has seen a gradual decline in the use of paper-based information, a reduction in the time taken to process documents and search for required information, thereby leading ultimately to increased productivity and better public awareness of patent rights and amendments thereto, as well as the status of patent documents.

In 2016, the State Register of Russian Federation Inventions (EGR IZ) and the State Register of Russian Federation Utility Models (EGR PM) records continued to be completed. As of the end of 2016, the registers contained:

- EGR IZ: 207,467 patents;

- EGR PM: 61,012 patents.

In order to ensure the completeness of foreign documentation submitted and uploaded onto the PatSearch system, incoming documentation is constantly monitored. As gaps are detected in the arrays of documentation, a request is sent promptly to the relevant foreign patent office; receipt of data is constantly being monitored.

During 2016, work was carried out on populating data; after formal verification fitness for purpose, completeness, and compliance with specifications on the website, some errors were identified. After verifying downloaded data during 2016, errors were detected in the arrays of Germany, Australia, China, Republic of Korea, and EPO (111,884 documents). All errors were corrected by re-uploading the data. As part of the previously signed agreements with foreign offices on data exchange and other written agreements, work is ongoing to ensure the quality and completeness of the upload onto the system.  

In 2016, the Rospatent and FIPS websites provided access to a wide range of databases, including official electronic publications.

The content and structure of the website, representing Rospatent’s activity within its terms of reference (www.rupto.ru) reflect the most important issues in relation to the functioning of the system of intellectual property protection in Russia. Regulations and press releases are regularly posted on events relating to Rospatent activity and events in the system of intellectual property protection.

The ‘Public Services’ section of the Rospatent  website has been fundamentally restructured, and includes all necessary regulatory documents, instructions, diagrams and forms for contacting the agency. New sections have been developed and opened: ‘Public Council’, ‘Board of Rospatent’, and ‘Normative Legal Acts No Longer in Force’. In accordance with the principles of openness, the following sections have been updated: ‘Plans’, ‘Public Procurement’, ‘State Service’, ‘Anti-Corruption’, ‘Normative Legal Acts, Compliance with the Provisions of which is Monitored by the State’, ‘Cooperation with Executive Authorities’, ‘Licenses and Contractual Relations’, ‘Contacting Rospatent’, ‘Federal State Information Systems’, and ‘Forms of Documentation’. In the ‘Public Data’ section, the sub-sections ‘Subordinate Institutions’, ‘Examination Plan’, ‘Examination Results’, and ‘Patent Attorneys’ have been updated in the form of data arrays in machine-readable format. Information on the demand for Rospatent’s public data section is posted online.

Along with the Rospatent website, the FIPS website (www.fips.ru) likewise developed rapidly in 2016, focusing on comprehensive support for users at various stages of legal protection and intellectual property protection.

New sections have been created: ‘Patent Search’, and ‘FIPS Procurement’. The following pages have been updated: ‘Official Publications’, ‘Search Engines and Databases’, ‘International Organizations and Patent Offices’, ‘Foreign Databases’, ‘Classifications’, normative documents in sections on industrial property subject matter, ‘Conferences and Seminars’, ‘Vacancies’, ‘Scientific Activity’, and ‘Main FIPS Activities’. Information has been updated in the following sections and headings of the FIPS website: ‘Leaders in Electronic Filing of Applications’, ‘Patent-Information Products’, ‘FIPS Services’, ‘Library of Normative Documents’, and ‘Samples of Applications’.

In the All-Russian Patent and Technical Library Division (hereinafter, ‘VPTB’) section of the FIPS website, the following headings are regularly updated: Thematic meetings, Internet navigator for patent information resources, Guide to VPTB collections and Internet resources, Bibliographical indexes and lists, Recommendations on the list of essential methodology, legal and patent literature and documentation for the provision of documents for the patent subdivisions and services of the State science and education sector and organizations forming the national nanotechnology network, and translations into Russian of the EPO publication ‘ Patent Information News’.

In 2016, Rospatent  and FIPS pages were created on Facebook, containing interesting material on the topic of patent law, the most striking current inventions, and answers to users’ questions.

Main areas of patent information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year

At present, applicants and representatives thereof may interact with FIPS electronically using services provided on the FIPS website (www.fips.ru) and on the State Services Portal. (www.gosuslugi.ru).

The FIPS website enables electronic filing of applications for inventions and utility models, as well as electronic correspondence through the ‘Personal Office’ service for applications for inventions and utility models filed previously. 

In 2016, the following measures were taken to increase the number of applications filed electronically:

-   reliability of the electronic filing system and ease of use thereof were increased;

-   use of electronic filing software services was enabled;

-   use of electronic filing of applications was promoted;

-   newsletters were sent to organizations proposing the use of electronic services for filing applications;

-   thematic meetings were held and advisory user support systems for electronic filing were offered;

-   electronic filing through TISC was organized.

Much attention was paid to Rospatent’s participation in the programs initiated by the RF Government:

-   Unified State and Municipal Services (Functions) Portal (hereinafter, ‘EPGU’);

-   inter-agency electronic interaction system (hereinafter, ‘SMEV’), including the transition to electronic interaction with the Treasury;

-   creating a basic State information resource (hereinafter, ‘BGIR’);

-   participating in the establishment of unified electronic government infrastructure by connecting Rospatent’s automated systems to the Unified System of Identification and Authentication (hereinafter, ‘ESIA’).

In 2016, a Consolidated Plan for the transition to electronic provision of public services was developed and approved.

As part of the implementation of the Consolidated Plan, information on all Rospatent services has been updated in the Federal Register of Public Services (FRGU), and descriptions of 26 public services have been made available on EPGU.

Technical requirements for the development of interactive forms of filing applications for 20 services have also been sent to the Ministry of Communications. As of December 31, 2016, it has been possible to file applications for eight Rospatent services with EPGU, while a further 12 services are carrying out testing of interactive forms. The new forms are expected to be launched on EPGU during the first quarter of 2017.

Interaction with the Federal executive authorities is provided using the inter-agency electronic interaction system. Version 2.4.4 of the SMEV web-service was developed and registered in a production environment in compliance with methodological guidelines for the development of eleсtronic services and use of electronic signature technology in the course of inter-agency electronic interaction.

In 2016, the type of information on registered intellectual property subject matter was developed and registered in the production and test environment of the Inter-Agency Electronic Interaction System (SMEV 3.x).

SMEV 3.x was integrated in a test environment with types of information from the Federal Tax Service (FNS), ensuring the receipt of extracts from the Unified State Registers of Legal Entities (ЕGRUL) and Individual Entrepreneurs (EGRIP).

In 2016, work was carried out to update the ‘Personal Office’ service of the FIPS internet portal in respect of integration with the Unified System of Identification and Authentication (hereinafter, ‘ESIA’) in order to comply with the Guidelines on the use of ESIA version 2.5.

Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and grants with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes

Inventions

Data relating to the filing of applications and the grant of Russian Federation invention patents for 2015-2016 are presented in Table 1.

Table 1

From Table 1, above, it can be seen that 2015 saw decline in both the number of applications filed (8.63%), and in invention patents granted (3.37%) in comparison to 2015.

The invention patents granted in 2016 were distributed according to the IPC sections as follows:

Table 2

The largest number of patents for inventions granted in 2016 was to Russian applicants for Section С of the International Patent Classification (IPC) – CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; this year, this section was the most popular for Russian applicants; as for foreign applicants the most popular section was Section A - HUMAN NECESSITIES .

The least popular Section among Russian and foreign applicants alike remains Section D – Textiles and Paper.  The number of patents granted for this Section in 2016 comprised only 0.75 per cent of the overall number of patents granted for inventions.

Utility models

Тable 3

In 2016, the number of applications received for utility models fell.  The number of applications received decreased by 6.67 per cent, and this decline was seen both in applications filed by domestic applicants (6.66 per cent), and, by foreigners (6.76 per cent). The total number of patents granted likewise declined, by 1.48 per cent.

Data on the distribution of patents for utility models by IPC Section are presented below.

Тable 4

The leading IPC Section in 2016 remained Section B – Performing Operations and Transporting – while second place was taken by Section A – Human Necessities. As in 2015, Section D – Textiles and Paper – continued to be the least in demand, with the lowest number of certificates granted.

Over 10,000 applications for inventions and utility models were filed electronically during 2016; for inventions- 9,873 (over 23 per cent of the total number of invention applications), and for utility models- 880 (approximately 8 per cent of the total number of utility-model applications).

In order to conduct correspondence electronically on applications for inventions and utility models filed is done through the Personal Office service of the FIPS website.

The growth in electronic filing of applications for inventions and utility models is presented in the diagram below:

The main factors influencing the substantial growth in electronic filing of applications in 2016 were the promotion of electronic interaction with Rospatent, and the implementation of a number of projects to integrate electronic filing systems with the prosecution systems of applicants and representatives thereof.

Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) - URLs

Availability of the application dossier in electronic form

Classification¹, preclassification² (if applicable), reclassification³ activities; classification systems used (e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC)); matters concerning indexing of patent information

Abstracting, reviewing, and translation of the information contained in patent documents

Other activities

III. SOURCES OF PATENT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

Main types of publications of the Office (patent applications, full text, first pages, abstracts, bibliographic data, granted patents, etc.), medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URLs)

Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URL), etc.

Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external collections and databases

Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to external users, conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)

Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)

Other sources

IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements

Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office

Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources

Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file

Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)

Other matters

V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF PATENT INFORMATION

Patent library: equipment, collection management, network of patent libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign patent libraries

Publications related to different business procedures and patent information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.

Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)

Cooperation with universities, research centers, technology and innovation support centers, etc.

Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.

Other activities

VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF PATENT INFORMATION

International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information

Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to patent information

Assistance to developing countries

Other activities

VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS

1.Classification is allotting one or more classification symbols (e.g., IPC symbols) to a patent application, either before or during search and examination, which symbols are then published with the patent application.

2. Preclassification is allotting an initial broad classification symbol (e.g., IPC class or subclass, or administrative unit) to a patent application, using human or automated means for internal administrative purposes (e.g., routing an application to the appropriate examiner).  Usually preclassification is applied by the administration of an office.

3. Reclassification is the reconsideration and usually the replacement of one or more previously allotted classification symbols to a patent document, following a revision and the entry into force of a new version of the Classification system (e.g., the IPC).  The new symbols are available on patent databases.