Annual Technical Report on Patent Information Activities in 2023 submitted by Hungarian Intellectual Property Office

Please provide links to your website where the requested information can be found in English, French, or Spanish.  Alternately, you may provide text responses instead of URLs if desired.  If the information is not available on your website in an ATR language, then please provide text.

URLs in responses should meet the following requirements:

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

Information on the following topics is desired:

• Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of patent information activities and expected time frames for their realization
• High-quality fulfillment of the quantitative and qualitative requirements of the national intellectual property protection authority activity (industrial property protection, copyright activity) and R&D certification activity in accordance with international professional requirements and the interests of domestic enterprises. Strengthening the service provider nature of official activities, maintaining partnerships with customers.
• Fulfill the role of legal practice analysis and legislative preparation related to the protection of intellectual property (industrial property rights and copyright) and R&D certification activities, paying special attention to the needs of the European Union and domestic policies.New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description:  aims, partners, tasks.
• Fulfilling the tasks of the member states arising from the European integration of Hungary in the field of intellectual property (European Patent Convention, European Union trademark and design protection system, copyright), with special regard to the interests of Hungary. Carrying out international patent research and preliminary examination tasks related to the operation of the Visegrád Patent Institute, as well as supporting the operation of the institute, with special regard to its headquarters in Budapest.
• Improving the conditions of awareness, orientation and training of the Hungarian industrial property rights and copyright culture through customer service, value-added service, IT and education support programs; purposeful support for science, technology and innovation policy strategies to improve national performance.
• Utilize the infrastructural and human resources of the office in an efficient organizational and management system in order to ensure economical, efficient, effective institutional operation.
• Improve the process-based, risk-based operation, maintain the office's internal control system and maintain and develop an integrated system (quality management and information security management) in accordance with the ISO standards introduced in the office in order to effectively operate and develop the industrial property and copyright system. which is necessary for the development of a knowledge-based, innovative and competitive economy.
• New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description:  aims, partners, tasks

The innovation strategy, named after János Neumann, was adopted by the National Assembly in 2023 and focuses on strengthening the knowledge-based economy as well as linking universities and research institutions with the economy. The programme set out a number of concrete measures focusing on the protection of intellectual property.

One of the priorities of the past year was to further strengthen the relationship with the universities and SMEs, to increase their activity and to win them as customers. It is encouraging to see that in 2023 also Hungarian universities were among the institutions filing the largest number of national patent applications.

• Main areas of patent 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 grants with respect to previous year;  trends or areas experiencing rapid changes

Hungarian Intellectual Property Office Annual Report: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/hungarian-intellectual-property-office-annual-report pp. 4-21

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

Industrial Property and Copyright Review:

https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/industrial-property-and-copyright-review

Hungarian Intellectual Property Office Annual Report: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/hungarian-intellectual-property-office-annual-report

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

• Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) – URLs

Hungarian Intellectual Property Office Annual Report: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/hungarian-intellectual-property-office-annual-report pp. 56-59

• Availability of the application dossier in electronic form

e-filing: https://ugyintezes.sztnh.gov.hu/eBej2/step1

E-dossier: http://epub.hpo.hu/e-iratbetekintes/?lang=EN 

• Classification², preclassification³(if applicable), reclassification⁴   activities; classification system used (e.g., International Patent  Classification (IPC)), matters concerning indexing of patent information

Classification: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/international-patent-classification-ipc  https://classifications.sztnh.gov.hu/ipc/

• Abstracting, reviewing, and translation of the information contained in patent documents

Q&A: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/questions-and-answers/this-chapter-helps-to-clarify-the-special-definitions-of-the-industrial

Form and Fees: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/urlapok-dijak-lekerdezese/forms-and-fees

IP-Search: http://epub.hpo.hu/e-kutatas/?lang=EN

• Other activities

General informations: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/patent

III. SOURCES OF PATENT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

Main types of publications of the Office (patent applications, full text, first pages, abstracts, bibliographic data, granted patents, etc.), medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URLs)

E-dossier: http://epub.hpo.hu/e-iratbetekintes/?lang=EN

IP-Search: http://epub.hpo.hu/e-kutatas/?lang=EN

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

Gazette: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/gazette-for-patents-and-trade-marks-the-official-journal-of-the-hungarian-intellectual

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

Databases: EPOQUENET system, EP-REG, Espacenet, Clarivate Analytics, Thomson Reuters

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

Review: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/industrial-property-and-copyright-review

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

Other sources

General legal sources: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/legal-sources/patents

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

Information on the following topics is desired:

1. Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
2. Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
3. Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
4. Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
5. Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)
6. Other matters

Hungarian Intellectual Property Office Annual Report: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/hungarian-intellectual-property-office-annual-report pp. 62-63

The most important IT development tasks performed in 2023 by the IT department were the following:

• Árfor (Nice Class Hun-English translator application)
• eSignature (HIPO electronic signature microservice integration with BO)
• ELO_Numbering (ELO Application number service)
• Acsepto (HIPO Similarity search system)
• CTI – Former TM/DS View (Former TM DS View service to be replaced by CTI)
• WIPO IF (WIPO International TM interface for bilateral communication)
• EPUB (HIPO Publication database and search services)
• SAP (HIPO Accounting system for payment integration)
• Authentication (Authentication infra service integration)
• User-Roles-Groups (User roles and groups management)
• Audit (Log management)
• Kibana (Reporting tool)
• Software Package (Overall architecture document)
• Alfresco (EUIPO Document Management System)
• ELO Correspondence ELO eFiling,
• Decision Desktop (EUIPO Letter management tool)

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

Information on the following topics is desired:

Patent library: equipment, collection management, network of patent libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign patent libraries

Library: sztnh.gov.hu/en/services/janos-frecskay-special-library

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

Online catalogue: https://sztnh.opac3.monguz.hu/en/search

Publications: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications

Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)

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

Cooperations: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/partners/educational-institutions

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

E-learning: http://tavoktatas.sztnh.gov.hu/

Other activities

More informations: Hungarian Intellectual Property Office Annual Report: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/hungarian-intellectual-property-office-annual-report pp. 50-61

VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF PATENT INFORMATION

Information on the following topics is desired:

1. International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information
2. Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to patent information
3. Assistance to developing countries
4. Other activitie

The Hungarian version of IPC is accessible on the home-page. http://classifications.mszh.hu/ipc/

The Hungarian interface of ESPACENET is accessible: https://hu.espacenet.com/advancedSearch?locale=hu_HU

Visegrad Patent Institute: https://vpi.int/en/

More informations: Hungarian Intellectual Property Office Annual Report: https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/publications/hungarian-intellectual-property-office-annual-report pp. 46-49

VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS

Please include any other relevant information here.

Please insert links to specific pages on your website where the above information is available in English, French, or Spanish.  See other requirements above.  You may also provide text instead of links.

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.