SCIT.ATR.PI.2008.RS

Annual Technical Report 2008 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Serbia (SCIT/ATR/PI/2008/RS)

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

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

Patent applications in 2008
Patent appl. filed by domestic applic. 385 -5,2% compared to 2007 (406)
Foreign applications directly to IPO 165 +195% compared to 2007 (56)
PCT applications in national phase 73 +35% compared to 2007 (54)
Extended EP (paid designation fee) 5625 +4,7% compared to 2007 (5372)
TOTAL 6248 +6,1% compared to 2007 (5888)

Petty patent applications in 2008
Domestic applicants 136 -13% compared to2007 (156)
Foreign applicants 1 -50% compared to 2007 (2)
TOTAL 137 -13,3% compared to 2007 (158)

Number of patent granted in 2008
Domestic patentee 70 -13.6% compared to 2007 (81)
Foreign patentee 224 +77.8% compared to 2007 (126)
TOTAL 294 +42% compared to 2007 (207)

Number of petty patent granted in 2008
Domestic patentee 81 -9,8% compared to 2007 (89)
Foreign patentee 3 +50% compared to 2007 (2)
TOTAL 84 -7,7% compared to 2007 (91)

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

The significant increase of the requests for provisional protection of European patent applications of 195% in 2008 is result of European patent extension agreement from November 2004.

Total increase of patent applications filed with the IPO of total 623 in 2008 in comparison with 516 in 2007 is in a favor of foreign patent applications.

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to patents

http://www.zis.gov.rs/sr/home/godisnji_izvestaj.html in Serbian
http://www.zis.gov.rs/en/home/godisnji_izvestaj.html in English

II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information

Publishing, printing, copying (main types of publications of the Office in the field of patent information, etc.)

Intellectual Property Gazette is the basic official source of information on all intellectual property rights. 6 issues of IP Gazette were issued in 2008 – one issue in two months. It is available in paper and CD/DVD carrier.

Publishing department of IPO prints in-house full-text patent specifications after grant of patent/petty patent, patent certificates, application forms, IPC as well as guide for drafting patent application.

Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of patent information

Gazette contains bibliographic data with abstracts in Serbian and English on published patent applications, registered patents and registered petty patents indexed in accordance with: IPC symbol, publishing number and applicant . In each issue of Gazette, bibliographic data on provisional protection of European patent applications are published on the basis of the list of paid designation fees received from the EPO.

The Annual Report 2007 of IPO with statistics is bilingual and available on the Office’s web site while the Annual Report 2008 is available in Serbian and .

Full text of all published patent documents in Gazette are available on Publication server of the Office on the following URL address in PDF form.

http://89.216.38.53/rs-pubserver/search.jsp?lg=sr

Mass storage media used (paper, microforms, optical storage, etc.)

All national published patent documents are available in paper form in separate room in the Office. They are also stored after reverting on Eposcan into PDF on Pub Server.

Word processing and office automation

For the purpose of Gazette preparation Word processor is used the most as well as for preparing documents for publishing where the other advanced techniques are not applicable.

(New) techniques used for the generation of patent information (printing, recording, photocomposing, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), etc.)

For generation of primary patent documentation published patent applications are scanned on Eposcan and PDF form is available through PubServer and MIMOSA. For preparation and printing registered patents and petty patents different OCR programs are used. Earlier Adobe Fine Reader and now all multifunctional scan/copying machines in the Office have built-in text converters for different types of format (PDF, TIF, GIF etc)

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online publication of patent documents and gazettes, and to other primary and secondary sources of patent information, including patent publication servers and download of bulk patent data

At the following URL which is a link with Publication Server of the Office website, all the national published patent documents (patents, petty patents and published patent applications) are suitable for searching according to IPC symbol, application/publication number and publication date from 1976. Whole documents are in PDF and suitable for downloaded.

http://89.216.38.53/rs-pubserver/resultlist.jsp

On-line version of Advanced level of IPC8 translated in Serbian is available at the following URL :

https://89.216.38.52/SerbIPC/index.php?lang=sr

III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents

Abstracting, reviewing, translating

All granted patent and petty patent are published with abstracts on the first page. The abstracts and titles are translated to English and entered into MIMOSA RS database. Available in Serbian and English.

Classification¹, preclassification² (if applicable), and reclassification³ activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC), other classification (please indicate whether or not patent documents are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)

In 2008 the current version of advanced level of IPC8 was used for classifying the new applications and symbols assigned are indexed. Earlier published patent applications classified according with the earlier IPC editions are reclassified after grant.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

File building

The Patent Library has continued to maintain and update the specialized files on paper and CD or DVD with patent documents from 8 countries including EPO and PCT documents.

Updating

Continually for international library fond and bi-monthly completion of national library fond. There are some gaps in accessibility of published granted patent due to backlog in publishing departments and those patents are available in the form of published patent application.

Storage, including mass storage media

Data are stored electronically (official database, hard discs, external hard discs for backup) and in paper form.

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

The Office received foreign patent document on CD and DVD.
Official bulletins of foreign offices are available in electronic format and in paper form.

V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems

In-house systems (online/offline)

All the searches at the Office are computerized. Each working station has fast internet access and all external, mostly free, patent database are accessible through it. Internally, only for users at the office (patent examiners, customers in public library), MIMOSA professional search software is available for advanced search through published national patent documents. Search allows use of all bibliographic search criteria and their combination including keywords in title and abstract in Serbian and English. Office also has complete collection of ESPACE EP and PCT patent documentation and it is accessible online/offline with MIMOSA too.

Published patent applications, granted patent and registered petty patent are searchable by: filling date, publication date, priority date, application number, patent number, petty patent number, inventor name, applicant name, patentee and IPC classification symbol on MIMOSA RS database.

In-house systems (online/offline)

All the searches at the Office are computerized. Each working station has fast internet access and all external, mostly free, patent database are accessible through it. Internally, only for users at the office (patent examiners, customers in public library), MIMOSA professional search software is available for advanced search through published national patent documents. Search allows use of all bibliographic search criteria and their combination including keywords in title and abstract in Serbian and English. Office also has complete collection of ESPACE EP and PCT patent documentation and it is accessible online/offline with MIMOSA too.

Published patent applications, granted patent and registered petty patent are searchable by: filling date, publication date, priority date, application number, patent number, petty patent number, inventor name, applicant name, patentee and IPC classification symbol on MIMOSA RS database.

In-house systems (online/offline)

All the searches at the Office are computerized. Each working station has fast internet access and all external, mostly free, patent database are accessible through it. Internally, only for users at the office (patent examiners, customers in public library), MIMOSA professional search software is available for advanced search through published national patent documents. Search allows use of all bibliographic search criteria and their combination including keywords in title and abstract in Serbian and English. Office also has complete collection of ESPACE EP and PCT patent documentation and it is accessible online/offline with MIMOSA too.

Published patent applications, granted patent and registered petty patent are searchable by: filling date, publication date, priority date, application number, patent number, petty patent number, inventor name, applicant name, patentee and IPC classification symbol on MIMOSA RS database.

Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)

In Patent Sector in mid 2008 process of introducing IPAS (Intellectual Property Administration System) was finally finished. All the data and changes from the receiving to registering started to administer through IPAS, donated by WIPO. Since IPAS was introduced in Trademark Sector two years earlier, new server is acquired for new function of administering patent/petty patent applications. Also it is possible to perform simple search in IPAS and to get excerpts in determined beforehand templates. Patent search in IPAS is available in-house.

Very important job in this field started in 2008 and that is preparing patent data for Gazette through IPAS, preparing data from Gazette in XML and sending them to EPO in order to become accessible through esp@cenet.

Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used

Internet access - direct optical connection to the provider at 8Mbit/sec, 2xCisco ASA 5510 in active/standby firewall configuration.

IPAS server for patents - FujitsuSiemens Primergy TX200 server, 4GB RAM memory, 5x146GB hard disks in RAID 5 configuration, 2 NICs. MS Windows 2003 R2 Server Standard Edition, aplication software is IPAS (proprietary), database is Oracle.

Pub Server for patents:

Internet access - FujitsuSiemens Primergy TX300 server, 4 GB RAM, 5x146GB hard disks in RAID 5 configuration, 2 NICs. MS Windows 2003 R2 Server Standard Edition, web browser as a client, application server Apache/Tomcat, MySql database.

Intranet access - FujitsuSiemens Esprimo P workstation as a server (2 GB of RAM, 2x146GB hard disks).MS Windows XP, Active Directory database member, Mimosa software as a client, application server Apache/Tomcat, MySql database

VI. Administration of the industrial property office library, and information products 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)

Planning, administration, automation, security, buildings

The Patent Library /Documentation Department is part of the Information Services Sector.There is no special requirements for the library use.
There is free access to the library's reading room.

Collecting, acquisitions, preparation

The Patent Library holds collections of domestic and foreign patent document s and other relevant material in the field of intellectual property on different media. In 2008, 1072 patent documents on paper and 372 546 patent documents on CD/DVD were added to the collections as well as 302 Official bulletins of foreign patent offices.

Collection management, preservation

The paper collections are stored according to the IPC classes and number. The electronic collections are numerical. All the documents can be used on request in the library's reading room.

Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and patent information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)

The patent collections and the Internet access are available in the public reading room. The Documentation Department staff ( Public reading room is part of the Documentation Department) carries out personal assistance and consultations. The Office also provides searches on commercial basis upon written request.

All published patent documents are available from 1976 onward through Office's website on Pub Server.

The Patent Library /Documentation Department is part of the Information Services Sector.
There is no special requirements for the library use and there is free access to the library's reading room.
Office`s stuff often assist in the library our clients in searching procedures especially to those who are not familiar in handling with electronic databases. Library is equipped with copy machine and printers where the clients can get the copies of relevant documents they are interested in.
Office also provides information services in the field of patents on written requests which are liable to payment of corresponding fees.
Different kind of services are listed below:
- Informing economic agents and other users about the existence and use of patent information;
- Professional assistance of experts from the Office in determining the type of patent information;
- Professional assistance for users of patent information in understanding the bibliographic data and interpretation of patent information of a legal nature contained in patent documents;
- Professional assistance in drafting requests for a search of the patent documentation;
- Patent documentation search based on written requests with enclosures of the copies of relevant patent documents specified in the search report;
- Systematic searches into a particular field of technology in a particular interval of time according to the defined needs;
- The possibility of autonomous patent documentation search;
- Provision of information to the public regarding the legal status of patents and petty patents, as well as of patent applications;
- Delivery of copies of patent specifications upon request;
- Publication of the Intellectual Property Gazette (Glasnik intelektualne svojine - GIS), the official newsletter of the Intellectual Property Office, with information on the published industrial property rights;
- Organization of seminars and courses with relevant programs for the users of patent information.

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information

International or regional cooperation in the exchange of machine-readable information, e.g., bibliographic data, abstract and/or full text information

Serbian patent documents on CD-ROM are distributed to patent offices of 19 counties.

VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)

Training courses for national and foreign participants, use of audiovisual means

In 2008 Intellectual Property Office has strengthen its promotional activities. Beside Office’s participation at different kind of exhibitions and fairs, three patent examiners trained the high professionals in one spin-off company closely related with Technical University in Novi Sad on how to: use patent information, create strategy for search, use different patent databases etc.

In program for several seminars held within Serbia targeted to local SMSs and scientists, one part was dedicated to importance of use patent information.

Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)

TESLA FEST in Novi Sad – the biggest inventor’s exhibition in Serbia,October 2008

II TRADE EXHIBITION in Pancevo – April 2008

Fair of business databases in Belgrade – November 2008

Belgrade’s inventor exhibition – May 2008

Beside participation of IPO at previous events with promotional activities and lectures, several seminars for judges were organized by IPO and by EPO/WIPO, in the field of patents.

IX. Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:

provide information on legislation related to patents

http://www.zis.gov.rs/en/home/zakoni_i_propisi.html in English, national IP Laws
http://www.zis.gov.rs/sr/home/zakoni_i_propisi.html in Serbian, national IP Laws and International Agreements

contain the Annual Report of the Office

http://www.zis.gov.rs/sr/home/godisnji_izvestaj.html in Serbian
http://www.zis.gov.rs/en/home/godisnji_izvestaj.html in English

X. Other relevant matters