Annual Technical Report on Industrial Design Information Activities in 2016 submitted by Industrial Property Office CZ

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

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

Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants (registrations) with respect to the previous year

Compared to 2015, there were changes in industrial design activities in 2016 as follows:

Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year

Since 2007, progression of the number of industrial design applications has a sinusoidal character with minimum of 305 (2008) to maximum of 457 (2012). The number of design patterns contained in these applications has risen again after a small drop in 2015. The chart seems to have a sinusoidal character with period of 3 years with average values about 1200 design patterns altogether per year. Concerning amount of registered industrial designs, there is a two-year decrease – approximately 12 % compared to 2015. On the other hand, number of designs contained in registrations has increased by 4 % (up to 1072 design patterns altogether per year), compared to 2015.

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

Statistics

Since 2000 the Annual Reports and statistics have been available at the Office’s website: http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/annual-report/annual-report.html

The Bulletin: http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/ipo-bulletin.html

The Office website 

The helpdesk: helpdesk@upv.cz

List of news and events: http://www.upv.cz/en/ipo/current-news/actual.html

Electronic filing of industrial design applications: http://www.upv.cz/en/client-services/on-line-filing.html

Element of proceedings: http://isdv.upv.cz/portal/pls/portal/portlets.rejst.formular?lan=en

Legislation related to all IP rights: http://www.upv.cz/en/legislation.html

FAQ: http://www.upv.cz/en/information-sources/faq.html

Search service – industrial design database (IPO CZ,) (basic search/advanced search): http://www.upv.cz/en/client-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases.html

Use of an electronic classification system to check the International classification for industrial designs: http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/classsification-systems/classification--industrial-designs.html

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 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

The Office website http://www.upv.cz/en.html is rich source of information.    

Electronic filing of industrial design applications: https://isdv.upv.cz/webapp/EPOD.epweb.reg

Element of proceedings: http://isdv.upv.cz/portal/pls/portal/portlets.rejst.formular?lan=en

Search service: http://upv.cz/en/client-services/information-services/search-services.html

Fees and payments: http://www.upv.cz/en/client-services/fees.html

Information on business procedure related to industrial designs: http://upv.cz/en/ip-rights/industrial-designs.html

Information on Services: http://www.upv.cz/en/client-services/information-services.html

Publications: http://www.upv.cz/en/publications.html

Industrial design databases: http://www.upv.cz/en/client-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases.html

Industrial classification system: http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/classsification-systems/classification--industrial-designs.html[j1] 

Availability of the application dossier in electronic form

The content of the file (element of proceedings) is available at: http://isdv.upv.cz/portal/pls/portal/portlets.rejst.formular?lan=en

Classification and reclassification activities; classification system used, e.g., International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification), other classification

The 11 th edition of the Locarno Classification has been used since January 1st.

Bibliographic data and processing

Registered and published designs are searchable by proprietor as well as the former proprietor (for IPO CZ employees only), designer, by date of filing, registration and publication, by number of application and registration, and by indication of the product, legal status and the Locarno class and subclass, as well as by registration and application number, number of the publication Bulletin, and proceeding status.

III. SOURCES OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

Main types of publications in the field of industrial design information, outline of the content (industrial design applications, design patents, registrations, etc.) and medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URLs)

Office notices are published weekly in the electronic Official Bulletin of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic. Notices are also published at the Office’s website.

Mass storage media used are hard discs, magnetic tapes for backup and paper.

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

Publishing, including printing, copying techniques and electronic printing

Lists of designs which have been registered, renewed, corrected, or which have requested restoration are published weekly in the Official Bulletin of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic. Since 2007 an electronic weekly (updated on Wednesdays) bulletin has been published at the Office´s web site (http://www.upv.cz/en.html). No prior registration or subscription to view the Bulletin is needed; however the pdf viewer (e.g. Adobe Reader ) must be installed. The information as published should be the authentic one for legal purposes. 

Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information

Office notices are published weekly in the electronic Official Bulletin of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic. Notices are also published at the Office’s website.

Mass storage media and microforms used

Used mass storage media are hard discs, magnetic tapes for backup and physical original in paper version.

Databases and office automation

Registered designs, including Community designs (RCD), are searchable in the public database. It provides a range of search options including proprietor, designer, image, indication of the product, legal status, date of filing, registration and publication, and Locarno class and subclass. The Official Bulletin picks up data from the internal database.

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

The Office’s Examiners have an access to:

• Internal SyPP database – contains all pending as well as already decided applications
• Internal database of industrial design applications since 1967
• EUIPO research tool Designview
• Other external public databases: http://upv.cz/en/client-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases/foreign-database.html
  
  

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

National and international industrial design (paper) documentation

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

Internal and public Industrial Design databases

Other sources

Access to online industrial design bulletin and to other sources of designs information, including download of bulk industrial designs data

The Official Bulletin URL: http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/ipo-bulletin.html

The public database URL: http://upv.cz/en/client-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases.html

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

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

Within the Office, there are obeyed, maintained and improved several business management systems:

• ISO 9001 – QMS (Quality Management System) helps to assure a constant level of quality of services provided by the Office
• ISO14001 – EMS (Environmental Management System) is used to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e., cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); (b) comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements, and (c) continually improve in the above.
• ISO 27001 – ISMS (Information Security Management System) specifies a management system that is intended to bring information security under explicit management control. Fields of concerns are Security policy, Asset management, human resources security, access control, incident management system etc.
• OHSAS 18001 – (Occupational Health and Safety Advisory System) helps companies to propose and implement precautions that, wherever possible, remove, reduce risks or isolate employees from them in a workplace. In case this is not possible, working activities have to be planned and managed through organizational precautions so that employees’ performance was safe and healthy.

The business process management system (BPMS) internally named ADONIS that describes the office’s processes flow structure is also deployed, maintained and improved. Each employee can find information on organizational structure, valid laws, rules and other documents, available applications, databases and information systems.

Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office

Workstations - HP, processor Intel Core2Duo, Core I3 and Core I5, RAM 1- 8 GB, HDD 160 - 500 GB. 300 workstations connected in the Office network are of the Office staff direct service. Thereof 50 computers connected in the Office network are intended for the clients of the Office and staff training. MS OFFICE – 2007/2010/2013/2016 software. The Office uses CD, DVD and magnetic tapes as data mediums.

Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources

In-house systems (online/offline)

The Office maintains an in-house search database of national applications of industrial designs  and registered industrial designs. The database is not accessible to the public but its structure corresponds to the public database (contains only national registered industrial designs since no. 3500).

External databases

The Office provides publicly free access to the database comprising the data concerning registered national industrial designs since no. 3500 and registered community designs at the IPO CZ website http://upv.cz/en/client-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases.html .

The Office also performs searches in  design databases freely accessible in the Internet such as Hague Express Database, eSearch plus, DesignView (both maintained by EUIPO) and other national databases. The links to these databases are provided at the Office´s web site (http://www.upv.cz/en.html).

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

File building

The industrial design search file consists of the collection of registered industrial designs of the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia. The full retrospective collection of registered and published industrial designs is accessible via public database. The database contains bibliographic data as well as images of approx. 33000 published registrations. The oldest data comes from the 1966/67 turn of the year.

Updating and Storage, including mass storage media

The data is updated daily and stored electronically (official databases, hard discs, magnetic tapes for backup) and in a paper version.

Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file

Collections of official bulletins of foreign offices are available in an electronic (via Internet or in a paper or on CDs/DVDs (older volumes) . WIPO and Community Design Bulletin are available in electronic version via Internet (new volumes) and in CD/DVD version (previous volumes).

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

The Office uses the internal information system SYPP2(starting from January 2014) to proceed the applications of patents, supplementary patent certificates, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks and geographical indications. The system has been developed since 2011 as a major upgrade of previous version SYPP which was used from 2004 until 2013. The new application is more flexible, based on Oracle Forms with easier maintaining and more flexible data structure. Data are stored in xml format including the history. The system is also more user-friendly. System is  connected with central registers of the Czech Republic (ISZR). The project was co-financed by the European fund for regional development within the EU project Enforcement of Industrial Property Rights..The system enables to maintain official registers of all the industrial property rights. Furthermore it archives all incoming and outgoing communications of the Office, provides the information on the state of proceeding, legal status of registrations and statistical data. The Document Management System (DMS) is integrated as well.. The system also processes foreign applications within PCT and the European patents valid in the territory of the Czech Republic. The data are transferred to the electronic Office’s Bulletin and to the public search database. The system  is compatible with electronic filing recognizing authorized electronic certificates. The on-line filing system was launched in August 2006, the  version  used in 2016 based on pdf forms was released in September 2009. During 2016 a new system based on web application was being developed and planned to be launched in 2017. Starting from January 2008, the system produces automatic electronic extracts from registers upon online request.

Information services available to the public 

The information centre and the helpdesk operate during the working days. They provide the general information concerning the industrial property rights.

Design information services for the public are provided within the information centre, in the public reading room, common questions can be addressed to the helpdesk (helpdesk@upv.cz) and search requests to the search section. The Office received a total of 4 design  search requests in 2016.(Since 2014 there has been a change in the methodology of statistical records of searches). A total of 1677 searches  (for patents, designs, trademarks) was provided for the State administrative bodies.

The Office provides full range of brochures and flyers free of charge. They can be downloaded in PDF format from the Office´s web site, taken in the office headquarters or sent upon request. The Office publishes its own books and the Industrial Property Journal (6 issues per year) reflecting the current issues of IP rights.

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

Office's library (if deals with industrial design information): equipment, collection management, network of libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign libraries

Patent library stores the industrial design collection which consists of registered industrial designs of the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia. The full retrospective collection of registered and published industrial designs is accessible via public database or in paper form. The database contains bibliographic data as well as images of approx. 33 000 published registrations. The oldest data comes from the 1966/67 turn of the year. The document can be studied in the public reading room equipped with PC workstations available for visitors.

The Office cooperates with Regional Patent Information Centres (PATLIBs) on information product dissemination.

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

The Office provides full range all IP rights dedicated brochures, leaflets and guides free of charge. They can be downloaded in PDF format from the Office´s web site http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/information-brochures/information-brochures.html, taken in the office headquarters or sent upon request. All the materials are distributed to visitors during fairs. The Office publishes its own books.

The Industrial Property Journal reflecting the current issues of IP rights is published six times a year.

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

Cooperation with Metropolitan University Prague on training in a bachelor´s programme in „Industrial Property“ and a master´s programme in „International and Regional Relations in Industrial Property“. Lectures were held at a number of innovation and technology centres.

IPO CZ also cooperates with other universities. There are seminars and educational activities (various topics) for students and academic staff organised in Office’s premises or in university headquarters. University students are also regularly invited for excursions and guided tours in the Office’s premises.

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

The IPO CZ regularly organizes wide range of training courses and seminars - such as Designs - National and International Legal Protection, Searches in the National and Foreign Design Databases, IP Protection and National (CZ) and International Systems of IP Protection, Intellectual Property Protection in Business (SMEs), Technology Transfer, Enforcement of Intellectual Rights, IP Jurisdiction (administrative and judicial issues),. All the educational activities are organized for public, mainly for students, academic staff of universities, representatives of SMEs or research institutions and IP professionals.

Every year, a two-year distance study learning of industrial property rights begins within the Industrial Property Training Institute – Office's own educational facility.

The Office presented its information activities, information and educational products at the following exhibitions and trade fairs:

• 58th International Engineering Fair (Brno, CZ)
• 15th International Trade Fair of Engineering Technologies FOR INDUSTRY 2016 (Prague, CZ)
• Innovation 2016 (Prague, CZ)
• Science Trade Fair (Prague, CZ)
• Science Festival (Prague, CZ)
• Invent Arena (Trinec, CZ))
• For Interior (Prague, CZ)
• The Science Research Innovation Trade Fair (Brno, CZ)
• 44th International Exhibition of Inventions (Geneva, CH)
• 19th Moscow International Inventions and Innovative Technology Salon (Moscow, RU)
• Euroinvent (Ias, RO). 
  
  

Other activities

The IPO CZ continued in its activities for children and youth (elementary school pupils and secondary school students). The Office offers to them short training sessions on industrial rights, guided field trips to the Office's headquarters and an example search in databases, as well as courses for teachers interested in adding the topic of industrial rights to their curricula. The IPO also kept on cooperating with the RVP.CZ Methodological Portal, operated by the National Institute for Education to support of teachers.

In October 2016, the Office, together with the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, prepared the event “From Patents to the Stars”. The program was intended for primary school pupils and secondary school student. Young visitors had the opportunity to be acquainted with the terms of intellectual property, industrial property rights, space research, and inventions that are used for research or have been created in relation to it. More than 240 pupils and students attended the event.

A „Youth Section" was maintained on the Office's website. It brings information on discussions and excursions, offers quizzes for download, informational fliers and comics on the topic of patents, trademarks and copyright. Preparatory work was completed to launch an e-learning application, which will acquaint young people with the principles, individual institutions of industrial property rights protection and their significance in an entertaining way. 

VI.INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION

International exchange of industrial design information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazettes)

The Official Bulletin of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic is published exclusively electronically as of the beginning 2007. The Official Bulletin is published on a weekly basis (updated every Wednesday) instead of the monthly basis as it was before. The paper version has been discontinued. Electronic version of the Official Bulletin is available since 2000 (Czech version, English version is available since 2007) and accessible at the Office’s web site:

http://www.upv.cz/cs/publikace/vestnik-upv.html (Czech version)

http://www.upv.cz/en/publications/ipo-bulletin.html (English version)

Various courses and seminars were organized for students and representatives of SMEs or research institutions; Groups of university students were accepted for excursions and guided tours for excursions and guided tours in the Office’s premises.

Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to industrial design information

Once entered into the registry run by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EU IPO) in Alicante, Spain, design owners gain protection for the entire territory of the European Union. The IPO CZ has been integrated into the Designview database, becoming the eleventh National Office to do so. The IPO CZ has uploaded nearly 63 000 designs into Designview.

Since 2008, upon the European Union's joining into the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, Czech applicants have had the possibility to use the international industrial design protection system. The system is managed by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Assistance to developing countries

At the request of the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Office organized a five-days study visit for its staff members.

Other activities

The Industrial Property Office continued to fulfil responsibilities resulting from the Czech Republic's membership in the European Union especially related to the area of industrial property protection. It participated in the meetings of the EU Council Working Group on Intellectual Property.