Annual Technical Report on Trademark Information Activities in 2017 submitted by Hungarian Intellectual Property Office
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I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TRADEMARK INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of trademark information activities and expected time frames for their realization
The high quality performance of the quantitative and qualitative requirements of the national intellectual property protection activity (industrial property rights, copyright law) in accordance with the
- international professional expectations,
- requirements of ISO quality and information services management system and information security standards.
The enlargement of the Hungarian role in the field of international IP cooperation to become a regional center.
Strengthening the service provider's activity, maintaining a partner relationship with the clients.
New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks
The intellectual property diagnosis service of HIPO was restarted with the assistance of EPO. The intellectual property diagnostics service offers tailor-made advice to innovative enterprises on the possibilities of legal protection for their intellectual property. As part of the service a complex overview is prepared for the clients on the potential risks and the proposed course of action for the protection of intellectual property.
Two new trade mark services, ‘trade mark search’ and ‘trade mark search with protectability opinion’ have been introduced on the 1st May 2017, for which there was a growing demand from clients, these services practically replacing the ‘express trade mark filtering’ service.
New promotion campaign of HIPO entitled “TradeMarker” has been introduced. The aim of the campaign is to broaden the IP knowledge of small and medium-sized enterprises, individual inventors and youth by organizing events, workshops, drug counterfeiting campaign, youth campaign, businesses lectures, internet violations campaign.
Main areas of trademark information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year
Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes
Number of valid trade masrks in Hungary in 2017
National trade marks: 55 056
International trade marks (under the Madrid system): 90 730
Registered European Union trade marks: 1.1 million.
The number of valid national trade marks, around 55 thousand, remained at the level of the previous years. The number of international trade marks (under the Madrid system) in Hungary was close to 91 thousand, while according to database searches the number of European Union trade marks registered for the 28 Member States of the European Union is approximately 1.1 million. Foreign applicants who wish to obtain protection covering several countries are opting in increasing numbers for the European Union trade mark system, which covers for the whole territory of the EU.
Main figures of trade mark applications filed via the national route
Trade mark applications of domestic origin in 2016: 3 671
Trade mark applications of domestic origin in 2017: 3 770
Trade mark applications of foreign origin in 2016: 393
Trade mark applications of foreign origin in 2017: 371
Total of trade mark applications filed via the national route in 2016: 4 064
Total of trade mark applications filed via the national route in 2017: 4 141
In the field of trade marks, as a result of favourable economic circumstances and the promotion campaign of HIPO entitled TradeMarker, the number of trade mark applications filed via the national route was 4141, an increase of 2% over 2016. The HIPO closed 3868 cases, 1% more than in 2016. The increase of application activity in the second half of 2017 caused that the backlog of cases at the end of the year was somewhat larger than in the previous year. The number of publications was proportionate with application activities: 2785 national trade marks were published. The number of registrations grew by 6%, so HIPO registered 2889 national trade marks. At the end of the year the number of valid national trade marks amounted to 55 056, similar to the numbers attained during the past few years.
Clients showed a growing interest in so-called accelerated and special accelerated procedures, and as a consequence the HIPO performed the examination of 105 applications in accelerated procedure, which is 40% more than last year's 74. The number of cases processed in particularly accelerated procedures also increased, there were 72 requests for such procedure.
Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.
HIPO Facts and Figures 2017:
II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK 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
Detailed information and support is accessible on the website of HIPO, eg.:
e-Filing: https://ugyintezes.sztnh.gov.hu/eBej2/step1/case1
Forms and fees: https://ugyintezes.sztnh.gov.hu/eBej2/sugo#5
How can I protect my intellectual property?: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/hu/hogyan-vedjem-a-szellemi-tulajdonomat/hogyan-vedjem-a-talalmanyomat
Availability of the application dossier in electronic form
The e-dossier gives inspection and communication platform providing online administration.
E-dossier: http://epub.hpo.hu/e-aktabetekintes/?lang=HU
Matters concerning classifying
(i) Classification and reclassification activities; classification systems used, e.g., International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification), International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks (Vienna Classification), other classification
(ii) Use of electronic classification systems and pre-defined terms of the classification applied
Nice Classification and Vienna Classification systems are used.
Nice Classification: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/hu/hogyan-tajekozodhatok-a-honlapon/adatbazisok/iparjogvedelmi-osztalyozasi-rendszerek/nizzai
Vienna Classification: http://classifications.mszh.hu/vienna/index.htm
Matters concerning processing of different types of non-traditional marks (e.g., three-dimensional, motion, hologram, color mark, etc.)
Other activities
III. SOURCES OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE
Main types of publications in the field of trademark information, outline of the content and medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URLs)
E-SEARCH for external use: http://epub.hpo.hu/e-kutatas/?lang=HU
Web-based GAZETTE, published twice a month: http://www.hipo.gov.hu/hu/szakmai-oldalak/szabadalmi-kozlony-es-vedjegyertesito
How can I protect my trademark?: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/hu/hogyan-vedjem-a-szellemi-tulajdonomat/hogyan-vedjem-a-megjelolesemet
Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online (URL), etc.
Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online, URL), etc.
Web-based GAZETTE, published twice a month: http://www.hipo.gov.hu/hu/szakmai-oldalak/szabadalmi-kozlony-es-vedjegyertesito
Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external documentation and databases
E-SEARCH for internal use, covering the public and non-public data.
E-SEARCH (for the public): http://epub.hpo.hu/e-kutatas/?lang=HU
GAZETTE: http://www.hipo.gov.hu/hu/szakmai-oldalak/szabadalmi-kozlony-es-vedjegyertesito
Nice Classification: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/hu/hogyan-tajekozodhatok-a-honlapon/adatbazisok/iparjogvedelmi-osztalyozasi-rendszerek/nizzai
Vienna Classification: http://classifications.mszh.hu/vienna/index.htm
TMview: https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/welcome
Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) and services available to external users; conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)
E-SEARCH (for the public): http://epub.hpo.hu/e-kutatas/?lang=HU
GAZETTE: http://www.hipo.gov.hu/hu/szakmai-oldalak/szabadalmi-kozlony-es-vedjegyertesito
Nice Classification: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/hu/hogyan-tajekozodhatok-a-honlapon/adatbazisok/iparjogvedelmi-osztalyozasi-rendszerek/nizzai
Vienna Classification: http://classifications.mszh.hu/vienna/index.htm
TMview: https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/welcome
How can I protect my trademark?: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/hu/hogyan-vedjem-a-szellemi-tulajdonomat/hogyan-vedjem-a-megjelolesemet
Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)
E-Dossier: http://epub.hpo.hu/e-aktabetekintes/?lang=HU just for information purposes.
Certified statement on the validity of protection can be received against payment.
Other sources
IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
The IT system of HIPO effectively provided the information technology background necessary for official and service activities and performed the tasks related to e-administration and information, and information security. HIPO continued to take the necessary steps in order to further reduce detected IT risks and to implement information security requirements. HIPO implemented the developments as mandated by the Act on Information Security and executed the tasks prescribed by the ISO risk management improvement plan. Clients can make use of the following services online: e-search, e-file inspection, e-filing, e-register, TM e-Filing, TMView, and DesignView.
Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
The Unified Administrative System of the Office comprise 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.
Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
The Unified Administrative System of the Office is used for file building covering all industrial property titles of protection. It is updated real-time and has a daily backup storage. All incoming documents are scanned since 2012.
Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)
The Unified Administrative System of the Office is used for file building, which covers all industrial property titles of protection. It has a real-time update system and has a daily backup storage. This system is the source of the public electronic-databases, such as GAZETTE, IP-SEARCH, E-REGISTER, E-DOSSIER.
Other matters
V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION
Office's library (if deals with trademark information): equipment, collection management, network of libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign libraries
See: Industrial Property Special Library: http://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/services/industrial-property-special-library
Publications related to different business procedures and trademark information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
The partners and customers of HIPO, who are interested in intellectual property, can choose from a variety of services or programs of customer service, information provision and education, eg.: AIDA, IP-Panorama, Start-up guide, Partner Search, Tenders, IP-Valuation, etc.: http://www.sztnh.gov.hu/hu/vallalkozoknak/hogyan-kezdjek-hozza
The website of HIPO (www.sztnh.gov.hu) offers valuable information both to potential clients who are less well-informed of intellectual property matters and to professional users. The portal was visited on more than 1.5 million occasions by nearly 524 thousand individually identifiable users, who downloaded more than 14.5 million pages. According to statistics on use, the number of individual visitors, visits, hits and downloaded pages increased significantly, by one-third compared to the previous year. On the website of the HIPO more than 45 thousand documents are available.
Clients can access useful and free e-administration and information services on the website such as the e-search, e-file inspection, e-filing and e-register. In addition to those, they can use the TM e-Filing system to file national trade mark applications, the TMview system for electronic trade mark search, as well as the Designview database, which contains designs protected in the European Union.
The website for raising the IP awareness of the general public (www.szellemitulajdon.hu) had more than 36 thousand individual visitors. The National Board Against Counterfeiting has its own website (www.hamisitasellen.hu), which features recent news on the subject of counterfeiting.
Cooperation with universities, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
Extending of knowledge on industrial property and copyright, as well as the improvement of awareness of intellectual property rights among small and medium-sized enterprises are objectives of outstanding importance. For entrepreneurs interested in industrial property protection it is essential that they be able to have personal consultation at information points or events close to them, in their regions, where they can be given information. In order to ensure this, 23 different organisations – 16 chambers of commerce and industry in counties and towns, 6 regional innovation agencies and one professional organisation – maintained information points based on agreements concluded with the HIPO. In addition to these, HIPO cooperates with so-called PATLIB (Patent Library) centres linked to six institutions of higher education outside Budapest: in Debrecen, Miskolc, Sopron, Pecs, Gyor and Szeged. The aim of the IP protection information and advisory network is to broaden the IP knowledge of enterprises, individual inventors, researchers, teachers, as well as of professionals in the areas of technology, science, agriculture and economics.
The aim of the IP protection information and advisory network is to broaden the IP knowledge of enterprises, individual inventors, researchers, teachers, as well as of professionals in the areas of technology, science, agriculture and economics. The information network provides topical information to clients, and, if there is a need for answering the queries of clients or if there is a demand for search services, it contacts the central Customer Service of HIPO.
The central customer service received nearly 17.5 thousand queries, out of which 10 thousand were made by phone, 5683 in person at HIPO, and 1599 were received electronically. Most queries aimed at trade mark information, but requests for patent information, copyright information and data provision represented also a significant share.
The patent search services of the assistance of HIPO provide user-friendly, evaluating type reports and patent search results. Clients have the following five services at their disposal: novelty search, novelty search with preliminary patentability report, preliminary patentability report, validity search and freedom to operate (FTO).
As a result of a review of trade mark services for a fee, as of 1 May 2017 two new trade mark services, “trade mark search” and “trade mark search with protectability opinion” have been introduced, for which there was a growing demand from clients, these services practically replacing the “express trade mark filtering” service.
Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
HIPO has valid cooperation agreements with 17 institutions of higher education. In these agreements the HIPO undertook to participate in giving courses on the protection of intellectual property, to partake, where appropriate, in the elaboration of internal IP protection regulations, and to help implementing the technology transfer tasks of these institutions.
Our basic, intermediate and advanced level industrial property courses, the basic and intermediate level copyright courses as well as the special courses organized by HIPO were important fora for knowledge sharing and awareness raising in Hungary.
Colleagues from HIPO, academics and practicing lawyers authored the manual “Copyright for everybody”, published in October 2017 and serving as a useful reference book not only for the participants of the intermediate level copyright course, but also for all authors, creators and users interested in copyright.
Based on agreements with HIPO, intellectual property as a separate subject was taught in 10 institutions of higher education, and at 8 other universities intellectual property protection was taught linked with other subjects. Within the framework of e-learning in the field of intellectual property protection, six higher education institutions participated in providing courses in the subjects of “Intellectual property protection” and “Innovation management and industrial property protection”.
In 2017, the total number of hours of intellectual property education provided in cooperation with HIPO amounted to 1368, and the number of persons attending those courses was 2917. Total teaching time exceeded that of the previous year by 59%, which is a significant increase.
HIPO once again invited applications for the „Ujvári János Award for Diploma Works” the purpose of which is to provide incentives for graduating students of higher education to develop the intellectual property protection aspects of their theses or dissertations. In the school year of 2016/2017 23 students submitted their applications, most of them from Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and Pazmany Peter Catholic University.
E-learning modules:
http://www.sztnh.gov.hu/hu/sztnh/szellemitulajdon-vedelmi-kepzes/tavoktatas
Other activities
VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION
International exchange of trademark information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazettes)
HU Trade Marks can be searched via TM-VIEW.
Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to trademark information
The objective of the National Board Against Counterfeiting (NBAC) is to reduce the supply of counterfeit and pirated products, to enhance the effectiveness of enforcement action in the fight against the infringement of IP rights, and to mitigate the unfavourable economic impact of counterfeiting and other infringements. In order to achieve the above objectives it drew up proposals and plans for regulation, organised trainings, events and information campaigns for awareness raising, conducted surveys, did research and brought about cooperation among domestic and international stakeholders and representatives of the media. The body actively cooperates with the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights (Observatory), operated by EUIPO, and representatives of NBAC regularly attend its plenary sessions and the meetings of its five working groups.
Assistance to developing countries
Other activities