Annual Technical Report on Trademark Information Activities in 2022 submitted by Estonia
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:
- Link to pages with information in English, Spanish, or French
- The URL will remain stable over time (at least three years, preferably more)
- Goes to the specific information requested, not to a general homepage
- If the URL goes to a long PDF document such as an annual report, please indicate which sections or pages contain relevant information.
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I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TRADEMARK INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Information on the following topics is desired:
- 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.
On 12 October 2020, the Estonian Patent Office started offering a new service – an accelerated procedure for trade mark applications. An application for an accelerated procedure must comply with certain conditions which allows the registration decision to be made in a shorter period of time. The procedure proved to be very popular among applicants. In 2022, 57% of national applications were submitted as an application for an accelerated procedure. On average, such applications managed to reach either the registration decision or (in case of problems) the first notification in 8 days, i.e. half as fast as the estimated processing time of 3 to 4 weeks as described on the website.
The Estonian Patent Office began choosing the trade mark of the month last year. One of the registered trade marks in Estonia was chosen each month by the internal workgroup. The decision-making process was democratic. The candidates for the trade mark of the month were particularly playful in their use of language, creative and beautiful to listen to, or in some other way memorable in both text and visual. The selected trade marks were featured on social media and the blog of the Estonian Patent Office, and they frequently reached the media. The choice of the best trade mark of 2022 marked the end of the project, which was a great success. The trade mark of the year title was awarded to the South Estonian company Villatoode OÜ for the trade mark MÄÄ. The winner was decided by public vote. Under this cheery name, innovative, eco-friendly fertilizer pellets are made from sheep’s wool. Institute of the Estonian Language, the Chamber of Estonian Patent Attorneys, and The Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also gave out special awards to their favorites. The Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Institute of the Estonian Language rated the trade mark VAGA (acoustic design panels from recycled sea plastic) as the most outstanding in 2022. The figurative mark of the Estonian Open Air Museum received the special prize from the Chamber of Estonian Patent Attorneys.
https://www.epa.ee/en/office-news-contact/patent-office/annual-reports
https://www.epa.ee/en/office-news-contact/patent-office/statistics#2022
II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK 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
- 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
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/filing-application/faq
https://www.epa.ee/en/additional-info/free-consultations
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/filing-application/how-protect-your-trade-mark
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/filing-application/forms
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/filing-application/goods-and-services
https://www.epa.ee/en/additional-info/free-consultations
III. SOURCES OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE
Information on the following topics is desired:
- 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
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/additional-info/instructions-and-brochures
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/managing-trade-marks/estonian-trade-mark-gazette
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/search-databases/trade-marks-databases
IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TRADEMARK INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Information on the following topics is desired:
- 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
Estonian Patent Office's IT has been consolidated to the Estonian IT Centre, which is responsible for all hardware, software, and servers.
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/managing-trade-marks/managing-applications-or-registrations
V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION
Information on the following topics is desired:
- 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
In Estonia, there is no institution such as a patent library, all trademark-related activities have been centralized into the office.
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/additional-info/instructions-and-brochures
https://aastaraamat.epa.ee/en/annual-report-2022/information-events
VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF TRADEMARK INFORMATION
Information on the following topics is desired:
- 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
https://aastaraamat.epa.ee/en/annual-report-2022/international-cooperation
https://www.epa.ee/en/trade-marks/managing-trade-marks/estonian-trade-mark-gazette