Annual Technical Report on Trademark Information Activities in 2021 submitted by Bosnia and Herzegovina/Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TRADEMARK INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Information on the following topics is desired:
- Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of trademark information activities and expected time frames for their realization
- New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks
- Main areas of trademark information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year
In the course of the last year, in the framework of cooperation with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) with the aim to harmonize practice with the principles of practice of the member states of the European Union in the field
of trademarks, the principles of Common Practice under the title CP3 – “Distinctiveness –Figurative Marks containing descriptive/nondistinctive words” have been translated and included in the Methodology of Procedure in the Intellectual Property Office for the procedures for the grant of trademarks and in the procedures following registered trademarks that can be found at the site of the Office.
Also, in the framework of cooperation with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) we ware in testing phase on tool for e-filing for trademarks.
http://eprijava.ipr.gov.ba/sp-ui-tmefiling/
The Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with USAID Tourism Project partners, participated in a one-day online workshop on "Branding and Certification of Handicrafts and Food Products"
Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes
In calendar year 2021, Intellectual Property Office of Bosnia and Hercegovina received 869 national applications. 1027 national applications were registered. Compared to 2020 (820), the number of filling in national applications increased.
At the same time the number of trademark applications filed under the Madrid System is 32 applications. Compared to 2020 (42), the number of applications fillings decreased.
BA Office was designated in 2908 international applications in 2021. Compared to 2020 (2912), the number of applications fillings decreased.
Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.
https://www.ipr.gov.ba/en/news
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
All relevant data considering the trademark protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina are available on the web site www.ipr.gov.ba That includes 1) frequently asked questions about trademarks, 2) TM legislation, 3) guidelines and forms, 4) fees; 5) statistics; 6) reports and useful links.
National trademark database is available on following links: http://reg.ipr.gov.ba/ and https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/#/tmview
Availability of the application dossier in electronic form
Application dossiers are available by the official website of the IP Office. Electronic trademark register contains bibliographic data on applications and registered trademarks and representations of trademarks.
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
The Nice Classification is used for the similarity examination search, for commercial search and for statistics. The translation of the list of goods and services is available on the web site: http://tmclass.tmdn.org/ec2/.
We have been using Vienna Classification in trademark examination procedure for years, but from the September of 2015, Trademark Department started to apply Vienna Classification through the IPAS system.
Matters concerning processing of different types of non-traditional marks (e.g., three-dimensional, motion, hologram, color mark, etc.)
IPO of the Bosnia and Herzegovina allows registration of trademark for the three-dimensional and color signs.
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)
The main type of publication in the field of trademark information is an official gazette: Intellectual Property Gazette. The following information and bibliographical data concerning registered domestic and international trademarks are published in the Intellectual Property Gazette: registration number, registration date, expected expiration date of registration, application number, date of filing of the application, date concerning exhibitions, data relating to priority under the Paris Convention, list of goods and services according the Nice Classification, disclaimer, reproduction of the mark, information concerning the colors claimed, indication relating to the nature or kind of mark, name and address of the holder of the registration, name and address of the representative. Trademarks are published in grayscale and color technique
Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online, URL), etc.
The Intellectual Property Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the basis of Trademark Law, publishes its official gazette, Intellectual Property Gazette, on the official web site. The Intellectual Property Gazette is published four times per year (31.03, 30.06, 30.09 and 31.12). The Intellectual Property Gazette, in the part referring to trademarks, is prepared by means of computer, using the IPAS system. From September 2015.
Gazettes can be found on our official web site: http://www.ipr.gov.ba/en/stranica/official-gazette_en
Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external documentation and databases
Examiners use IPAS, which contains bibliographic data on applications and registered trademarks and representations of trade marks, as well as the data on changes relating to applications and registered marks (assignments, licenses, pledges) and more information available through workflow.
Examiners use Madrid Monitor WIPO.
Examiners use TMClass.
Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) and services available to external users; conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)
National trademark register, International trademark database and Alphabetical list of goods and services of the Nice Classification are available to the external users via the official website of the IPO, free of charge.
Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)
Legal status information are available through the Electronic Register of Trademarks, and also in paper version of the register on request.
IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Information on the following topics is desired:
Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
- 30/8Mbit/s Mostar; 16/16Mbit/s Sarajevo; 10/2Mbit/s Banja Luka used for Internet connection, FORTINET Network Equipment(LAN based on Fast Ethernet – 1000/100/10Mbit/s)
- IPAS 3.5
- MICROSOFT environment:
- SQL 2016 Standard databases: Daily backup (full and incremental) is stored at NAS (Network Attached Storage).
- Servers: Application server: HP ProLiant DL380p Gen8; Windows Server 2016 Standard, 64 bit, with 12GB Ram, 8 x CPU E5 - 2609
- Database server: HP ProLiant DL380p Gen8; Windows Server 2016 Standard, 64 bit, with 12GB Ram, 8 x CPU E5 - 2609
- Workstation: PC Pentium IV, PC I5 processor 4 generation, with Windows 10
Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
IPAS 3.5 is used as administrative system for Trademarks
V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION
Information on the following topics is desired:
Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
https://www.ipr.gov.ba/en/novost/10236/webinar-intellectual-property-for-business-entities-held
Publications related to different business procedures and trademark information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc
http://www.ipr.gov.ba/en/stranica/brochures-and-publications-en-2
Cooperation with universities, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION
Information on the following topics is desired:
International exchange of trademark information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazettes)
The trademark database of Bosnia and Herzegovina is updated in TM View database.
Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to trademark information
Cooperation with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).