Annual Technical Report 2004 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Latvia (SCIT/ATR/PI/2004/LV)
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.
The term "patent" covers utility models and Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs). Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in their Annual Technical Reports on Industrial Design Information Activities.
I. Evolution of patent activities
Patent applications under the national procedure are filed directly with the Latvian Patent Office. 115 applications have been filed with the LPO in 2004, including 107 (93%) applications filed by domestic applicants.
Latvia has been a member state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) since 1993. 30 applications have been filed under this procedure in 2004, including 9 of Latvian origin.
It has been possible to extend European Patents to Latvia since May 1, 1995. The number of applications has been increasing with each year. In 2002 the number of extensions was 4460, in 2003 – 4574, in 2004 – 5734.
The total number of patent applications in 2004 was 5885.
GRANTED PATENTS IN 2004
Granted patents for national applications – 104;
Granted patents for international applications (PCT) – 22;
Extended European patents – 713;
Registered European Patents – 9.
Granted patents, total – 848.
Number of valid patents at the end of 2004 – 3309.
ANNUALTECHNICALREPORT2004Tables1-2 - Breakdown by IPC Classes
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information
III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
The Patent and Technology Library’s collection of patent documents comprises over 30 million documents from WIPO, EPO, OAPI, EAPO, and ASEAN region. The collection includes 31 bibliographical and full-text patent databases from 45 countries; 4 trademark databases from WIPO and 8 countries (USA, Russia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary); 5 databases of utility models from 4 countries (Austria, Japan, Russia, Germany); a database of industrial designs from Russia; other databases from WIPO, EPO and some countries (on paper about 1,2 million, in microfilm or microfiche form about 4,5 million and increasingly also on CD-ROM/DVD-ROM about 24,3 million). The search files are arranged mostly according to the number of a patent document.
The library collection includes also patent bulletins and gazettes, monographs and reference literature on industrial property protection, as well as non-patent literature.
In the library users can get the latest information on modern technologies implemented all around the world and on legal protection of ideas and goods. This kind of information is crucial for industry and science.
Last year the patent collection was enriched by patent specifications from GB.
V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems
VI. Administration of the industrial property office library and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, for assisting clients on searching procedures, for obtaining official publications and registry extracts)
The Patent and Technology Library is a special library of national significance. The library is the only one which collects and processes patent documents in Latvia.
The aim of the library is to promote national inventions and patents activities and to further the state policy in the field of the legal protection of industrial property.
The main tasks of the library are to:
- acquire or provide access to all kinds of information resources, to create reference tools and local databases;
- provide library, information and bibliographic services to individuals and institutions.
The library has been acquiring, processing and maintaining patent documents, patent gazettes and other patent and non-patent literature since 1962. Since 1967, the library has also been collecting standards and technical documentation.
The older part of the collections is on paper, microfilm or microfiche. Now the majority of patent documents are on CD/DVD-ROMs. The library collections are acquired by purchase (the financial resources for it are allocated from the state budget) and by exchange of publications with other industrial property offices under international agreements.
The patent and trademark gazettes as well as reference literature are kept in the public reading rooms; other materials, i.e. patent documents, are stored in the stock-rooms and are lent at users’ request.
The library offers copying services from paper or microforms. The users can also order printouts of documents on CD/DVD-ROMs. The staff of the Patent Information Department offer specialist services, such as patent and trademark searches in electronic databases, and compile bibliographic indexes to patent documentation. These services are offered for a moderate price.
Other services are free of charge: in the reading rooms readers can use patent and trademark gazettes, reference materials, other books and periodicals.
Users can carry out searches using CD/DVD-ROMs at 3 workstations. The following CD/DVD-ROM collections are available:
Buletinul Official de Proprietate Industriala (RO)
Canadian Patent Applications
Canadian Patents
Community Trade Marks Bulletin
DEPAROM ACT
DEPAROM KOMPAKT
DEPAROM U
DOPALES PRIMERAS
ESPACE-ACCESS
ESPACE-ACCESS EP-B
ESPACE-ACCESS-EUROPE
ESPACE-ACCESS- PRECES
ESPACE-AT
ESPACE-BENELUX
ESPACE-BULLETIN
ESPACE-CH
ESPACE-EP-A
ESPACE-EP-B
ESPACE-ES
ESPACE-FI
ESPACE-FIRST
ESPACE-IT
ESPACE-OAPI
ESPACE-PRECES
ESPACE-SI
ESPACE-UK
ESPACE-WORLD
GLOBALPat
Industrial Property Official Bulletin (AM)
JPO CD-ROM A&U
JPO CD-ROM B&Y
OFFICIAL GAZETTE (US)
PAJ
PRECES-ASEANPAT
ROMARIN BIBLIO
ROMARIN IMAGES
SNAP
THE INVENTIONS PROTECTED IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
TRACES
TRADEMARKS REGISTERED
USAApp
USAPat
US Patent Search
WIPO Gazette of International Marks
Описания изобретений к евразийским заявкам
Описания изобретений к евразийским патентам
Патенты России
Товарные знаки, знаки обслуживания и наименования мест происхождения товаров
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information
VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries
1. The European Commission Directorate General Enlargement (TAIEX Office) in co-operation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia organized International Baltic Conference “Commercialization of Industrial Property in Latvia – Business in the European Union and Beyond”, which took place in Riga, Latvia on March 3-4, 2004 (10 participants).
2. On April 6, 2004 the 1st regional Patent Information Point (PIP) was opened in Rezekne’s division of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (3 participants).
3. On 26th of April the library organized an open door day dedicated to the World Intellectual Property Day. In the framework of this event all the visitors could attend database presentations, lectures and exhibitions, get consultations and raise skills in information searching. In all there were 120 visitors. This event was highlighted on local radio, TV and in newspapers.
4. Lectures on Digital Information Sources in Industrial Property were prepared and read at the Continuing Education Centre for Librarians of Latvia.
5. PATLIB 2004 - Make Customers Benefit from Your Competence (3 participants).
6. EPIDOS 2004 Annual Conference (2 participants).
7. Patent and Trademark Depositary Library Association (PTDLA) conference in USA on March, 2004 (1 participant).
8. Participation in Round-table Discussions on Membership in European Patent Organization arranged by the Lithuanian Patent Office (2 participants).
9. Participation in a discussion on Changes in Normative Acts on Trademarks and Industrial Designs at the Patent Office of Latvia (2 participants).
10. Participation in a seminar on Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights and Data Protection organized by the Latvian Patent Office, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Finance and European Commission (4 participants).
11. Participation in a seminar on Potentialities of Patenting Business Methods organized by the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2 participants).
12. Participation in a seminar on Industrial Property Protection in Enterpreneurship organized by the Latvian Patent Office, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Patent and Technology Library (2 participants).
IX. Other relevant 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. |