Annual Technical Report 2005 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Latvia (SCIT/ATR/PI/2005/LV)
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
Patent applications under the national procedure are filed directly with the Latvian Patent Office. 125 applications have been filed with the LPO in 2005, including 112 applications filed by domestic applicants.
Latvia has been a member state of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) since 1993. 40 applications have been filed under this procedure in 2005.
The number of international applications (filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty) of Latvian origin was fourteen applications in 2005.
It has been possible to extend European Patents to Latvia since May 1, 1995. The number of applications has been increasing with each year. In 2003 the number of extensions was 4574, in 2004 – 5734, in 2005 – 5737.
The total number of patent applications in 2005 was 5906.
GRANTED PATENTS IN 2005
Granted patents for national applications – 92;
Granted patents for international applications (PCT) – 27;
Extended European patents – 647;
Registered European Patents – 3.
Granted patents, total – 769.
Number of valid patents at the end of 2005 – 3723.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information
The Latvian Patent Office produces in multiple copies patents – B-documents. They are produced as printed paper documents. We do not prepare any A-documents. Instead the whole application is made available to the public for inspection in our office or can be supplied as a photocopy on demand. The monthly published Latvian Patent Bulletin contains bibliographic data of Inventions, Trademark and Industrial Designs.
Latvian Patent Specifications (B publication) are published on ESPACE-PRECES CD-ROM.
III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents
Our office publishes an abstract document of Latvian patent applications 18 months after priority date, or earlier on the request of applicant, in the Patent Bulletin. Publication contains bibliographic data, abstract and drawing or chemical formulae.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
The Patent and Technology Library’s collection of patent documents comprises over 30 million documents from WIPO, EPO, OAPI, EAPO, and ASEAN region. The collection includes 32 bibliographical and full-text patent databases from 45 countries; 4 trademark databases from WIPO and 8 countries (USA, Russia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary); 5 databases of utility models from 4 countries (Austria, Japan, Russia, Germany); a database of industrial designs from Russia; other databases from WIPO, EPO and some countries (on paper about 1,2 million, in microfilm or microfiche form about 4,5 million and increasingly also on CD-ROM/DVD-ROM more then 24 million). The search files are arranged mostly according to the number of a patent document.
The library collection includes also patent bulletins and gazettes, monographs and reference literature on industrial property protection, as well as non-patent literature.
In the library users can get the latest information on modern technologies implemented all around the world and on legal protection of ideas and goods. This kind of information is crucial for industry and science.
Last year the patent collection was enriched by patent specifications from the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Uzbekistan, Ukraine and the Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO) in the joint regional patent-information CD-ROM-product – СISPATENT.
V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems
VI. Administration of the industrial property office library 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)
The Patent and Technology Library is a special library of national significance. The library is the only one which collects and processes patent documents in Latvia.
The aim of the library is to promote national inventions and patents activities and to further the state policy in the field of the legal protection of industrial property.
The main tasks of the library are to:
- acquire or provide access to all kinds of information resources, to create reference tools and local databases;
- provide library, information and bibliographic services to individuals and institutions.
The library has been acquiring, processing and maintaining patent documents, patent gazettes and other patent and non-patent literature since 1962. Since 1967, the library has also been collecting standards and technical documentation.
The older part of the collections is on paper, microfilm or microfiche. Now the majority of patent documents are on CD/DVD-ROMs. The library collections are acquired by purchase (the financial resources for it are allocated from the state budget) and by exchange of publications with other industrial property offices under international agreements.
The patent and trademark gazettes as well as reference literature are kept in the public reading rooms; other materials, i.e. patent documents, are stored in the stock-rooms and are lent at users’ request.
The library offers copying services from paper or microforms. The users can also order printouts of documents on CD/DVD-ROMs. The staff of the Patent Information Department offer specialist services, such as patent and trademark searches in electronic databases, and compile bibliographic indexes to patent documentation. These services are offered for a moderate price.
Other services are free of charge: in the reading rooms readers can use patent and trademark gazettes, reference materials, other books and periodicals.
Users can carry out searches using CD/DVD-ROMs at 4 workstations. The following CD/DVD-ROM collections are available:
Buletinul Official de Proprietate Industriala (RO)
Canadian Patent Applications
Canadian Patents
CISPATENT
Community Trade Marks Bulletin
DEPAROM ACT
DEPAROM KOMPAKT
DEPAROM U
DOPALES PRIMERAS
ESPACE-ACCESS
ESPACE-ACCESS EP-B
ESPACE-ACCESS-EUROPE
ESPACE-ACCESS- PRECES
ESPACE-AT
ESPACE-BENELUX
ESPACE-BULLETIN
ESPACE-CH
ESPACE-EP-A
ESPACE-EP-B
ESPACE-ES
ESPACE-FI
ESPACE-FIRST
ESPACE-IT
ESPACE-OAPI
ESPACE-PRECES
ESPACE-SI
ESPACE-UK
ESPACE-WORLD
GLOBALPat
Industrial Property Official Bulletin (AM)
JPO CD-ROM A&U
JPO CD-ROM B&Y
OFFICIAL GAZETTE (US)
PAJ
PRECES-ASEANPAT
ROMARIN BIBLIO
ROMARIN IMAGES
SNAP
THE INVENTIONS PROTECTED IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
TRACES
TRADEMARKS REGISTERED
USA App
USA Pat
US Patent Search
WIPO Gazette of International Marks
Описания изобретений к евразийским заявкам
Описания изобретений к евразийским патентам
Патенты России
Товарные знаки, знаки обслуживания и наименования мест происхождения товаров
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information
The Patent Bulletin is sent to 20 addresses. The patent documents are provided on paper. Latvian Patent Specifications are available on ESPACE-PRECES CD-ROM.
VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries
1. AIPPI Baltic Conference on Intellectual Property «Intellectual Property In New EU Member States» was held on April 6. – 7. in Riga, Latvia. Organizators were Latvian Patent Office, AIPPI Latvian National Groupe and CIPR (Coalition for Intellectual Property Rights). Practitioners from many EU countries used the opportunity of exchanging ideas, making new contacts and sharing experience on various aspects of intellectual property protection. Participants had a possibility of choosing between two parallel sessions, one covering mostly matters with regards to Patent Offices of different EU countries and another, dealing with practical aspects of protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property rights.
2. On 26th of April the Latvian Patent office and the Patent and Technology library organized an open door day dedicated to the World Intellectual Property Day. The slogan of the Day was: “It starts with an idea”. In the framework of this event all the visitors could attend database presentations, lectures and exhibitions, get consultations and raise skills in information searching. In all there were more than 100 visitors. This event was highlighted on local radio, TV and in newspapers.
3. Participation in PATLIB 2005 conference - Sinaia, Romania 17 – 19 May (4 participants).
4. Participation in EPIDOS 2005 Annual Conference (3 participants).
5. Participation in EPO organized seminar “Patent classification and Documentation Techniques and tools” in Hague (1 participant).
6. Participation in Polish Patent Office organized X conference “Patent Information for science and Industry” (2 participants).
7. Development of the database project on Industrial and Intellectual Property Protection in Latvia in 1920-40s and cooperation with the Latvian State Historical Archive (as an owner of the most comprehensive collection of independent Latvia’s inventions).
8. Exhibitions at the Patent and Technology library: “Inventions of the 21 th Century”, “EPO applications from Latvian inventors”, “VEF MINOX inventor Walter Zapp – 100”.
9. Report “Patent information: sources and search opportunities” was prepared and read at the international seminar “Actualities of users of Academic libraries” organized by Latvian University on 23. November in Riga.
10. The article “Patent information search opportunities at the Latvian Patent Office's Patent and Technology library” was prepared and published in the local journal for librarians “Library world”.
IX. 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. |