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 Annual Technical Reports on Trademark Information Activities should cover the following items:
1. General overview of recent developments in trademark information activities carried out by the Office
- 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
- Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes
- Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.
2. 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
- Availability of the application dossier in electronic form
- Matters concerning classifying
- 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
- Use of electronic classification systems and pre-defined terms of the classification applied
- Matters concerning processing of different types of non-traditional marks (e.g., three-dimensional, motion, hologram, color mark, etc.)
- Other activities
3. 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)
- Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online (URL), etc.
- Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external documentation and databases
- Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) and services available to external users; conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)
- Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)
- Other sources
4. ICT support to services and activities related to trademark information carried out by the Office
- Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
- Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
- Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
- Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
- Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)
- Other matters
5. Promotion activities aimed to support users in access and efficient use of trademark information
- Office’s library (if deals with trademark information): equipment, collection management, network of libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign libraries
- Publications related to different business procedures and trademark information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
- Cooperation with universities, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
- Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
- Other activities
6. International cooperation activities in the field of trademark information
- International exchange of trademark information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazettes)
- Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to trademark information
- Assistance to developing countries
- Other activities