Annual Technical Report 2009 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Kazakhstan (CWS/ATR/PI/2009/KZ)

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

In 2009, 1705 applications for grant of titles for inventions, 1513 were filed by the national applicants and 192 by foreign applicants. These figures constitute 1.8 % increase in number of received applications for invention in comparison with previous year.
In 2009, number of issued innovation patents for invention to the national applicants is 1167, to foreign applicants – 14, but in 2008, to national applicants – 354.
The number of patents issued for invention to the national applicants made up 162 patents, and to the foreign applicants 63, in 2008 – 132 and 39 respectively.
The number of preliminary patent for an invention issued to the national applicants made up 234, to the foreign applicants – 47, in 2008 – 1126 and 104 respectively.
Total number of issued titles for invention in 2009 was 1687.
In 2009, the applicants’ activity utility models increased, national applicants – 80, foreign applicants - 25. Total number previous year increased 28 %.
The rates of patents issued for utility models to national applicants have increased 3.5 %, 58 patents to the national applicants, 47 patents issued for utility models to foreign applicants.

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

Statistics related to patents can be found in Annual Report at www.kazpatent.kz

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.)

Patent information is available on paper and CD-ROM carriers.

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

The main source of information on patents registered in the Republic of Kazakhstan is Industrial Property Official Gazette, which is published in Kazakh and Russian. Announcements are published in the Official Gazette. NIIP also issues an Annual Index to Gazette.

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

In 2009, NIIP prepared and published 2008 Annual Report, four numbers of Journal Intellectual Property of Kazakhstan, and some guidelines.

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

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)

NIIP uses International Patent Classification for classifying patent applications.

Bibliographic data and full-text processing

Bibliographic data for Gazette is generated automatically from the database. Abstracts, full descriptions and claims are scanned, recognized and edited. Texts can be typed in case the recognition is not possible. The Office uses program ABBYY FineReader 7.0 for Optical Character Recognition.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

Updating

When a patent application is received all information on it is entered into the national database. The information is updated in the course of office procedures.

Storage, including mass storage media

Information on registered patents, including bibliographic data, descriptions is stored on CD-ROMs as well as on paper carriers.

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

Inventions of World's Countries Database comprises bibliographic abstracts and graphic information on inventions of WIPO, EPO, the UK, Germany, the US, France, Russia (from 2002), Switzerland and Japan published between 1996 and 2006, which enabled Kazakhstan to extend its capacities in patent search for inventions for international novelty.

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

In-house systems (online/offline)

There is used an on-line automated system for search procedures, which includes information on patents filed with NIIP.

External databases

Examiners use following external databases for examination purposes: EAPATIS, esp@cenet, PATENTSCOPE, and open registers of Rospatent, RUPAT and RUPAT_OLD.

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

Since September 2009, Automated Information System AIS NIIP was put into operation. AIS NIIP is designed for complete coverage of all the functional requirements of Services of the Institute to automate and to simplify the work with the titles of protection for industrial property, the prosecution of these documents and the organization of electronic documents between Services of the Institute.

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

Hardware: system block P4 Core2Duo 1,8GHz, 160 HDD, 526 Mb, DVD-RW, video 128, m/k, LAN. Software: WINDOWS, Microsoft Office 2003, FOX PRO.

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)

Collection management, preservation

Republican patent fund is generated at the Republican Scientific Technical Library (RSTL).
Currently it comprises more than 21 million patent documents from 50 countries and three organizations - WIPO, EPO and EAPO.

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)

At the NIIP's Branch Office Databases Patents of Kazakhstan: Bibliography, Patents of Kazakhstan: Full descriptions and Database Patents of Kazakhstan: Abstracts are generated, which are then recorded on optical disks and distributed around Kazakhstan and abroad.

URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of patent applications

Currently the System for electronic filing of patent applications is being developed. Instructions on filing applications for industrial property subject matters is at: http://www.kazpatent.kz/index.php?lang=rus&uin=1208951998&id=1209467172

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., patent search service(s) and patent databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them

The list of services offered by NIIP in the field of industrial property is at: http://www.kazpatent.kz/index.php?lang=rus&uin=1216034056

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

NIIP carries out mutual exchange of Official Gazettes, Annual Reports and databases with near and far abroad countries and the international organizations.
In the year 2009, about 2493 copies of NIIP's publications were distributed including Journal Intellectual Property of Kazakhstan and various databases.

Medium used for exchange of priority documents

The exchange of patent information is carried out on paper as well as optical carriers.

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 2009, the Training Center held 25 events including 7 charged workshops, 17 seminars on distance education for members of the territorial subdivisions of the Departments of Justice (for free), 1 round-table. The information about the upcoming courses is always available on the site of NIIP.
In 2009 six examiners and specialists of NIIP successfully completed distance learning program DL-101 General course on Intellectual Property and received WIPO certificates of completion.
Several examiners took professional development courses at the Russian State Institute of Intellectual Property in Moscow.

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

An important event for the promotion of invention and the Patent System is an Annual National Contest on Invention Achievements “Shapagat”, which is held on April 24. The Contest promotes the role of Innovation and Invention in the country, investment promotion and implementation of development in the manufacturing sector. “Shapagat-2009” was marked by the fact that WIPO has established the first three awards for Kazakh inventors.
During the year some videos were developed and further rotated on the national channels.

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

Information on legislation in the field of IP protection, Annual Report and other general information can be found on the official web-site of the Institute at www.kazpatent.kz
Patent law of the Republic of Kazakhstan can be found at: http://www.kazpatent.kz/index.php?lang=eng&uin=1211781357

X. 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.