CWS.ATR.ID.2010.MD

Annual Technical Report 2010 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Republic of Moldova (CWS/ATR/ID/2010/MD)

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The expression "industrial designs" covers industrial designs and models. Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in this series of Annual Technical Reports.

I. Evolution of registration activities

In 2010, 289 applications for the registration of 1251 industrial designs were filed with the Agency. Of these, under the national procedure were filed 103 applications (35.6 percent of the total number), including 511 industrial designs (40,8%), and under the Hague Agreement procedure  186 applications (64.4%) with 740 industrial designs (59,2%). As compared to 2009, the number of filed applications increased by 13 (4.5%) and that of industrial designs embedded in these applications decreased by 88 (6.6%). It should be noted that the number of applications and industrial designs filed under the national procedure increased by 20 (24.1%) and, respectively, 56 (12.3%) and the number of applications filed under the Hague Agreement procedure decreased by 7 (3.6%) and, respectively, 144 (16.3%).
During the period under review, the national applicants have filed 99 applications (34.3 percent of the total number), with 514 industrial designs (41.1%) covered therein, being attested a increase by 47.8 percent in the number of applications and, concomitantly, an increase by 18.4 percent in the number of industrial designs, as compared with the previous year. Most applications  95 (96%) and industrial designs  498 (96.9%) were filed by applicants from the Republic of Moldova under the national procedure, while under the Hague Agreement procedure was filed only 4 application covering 16 industrial designs.
The foreign applicants have filed 190 applications with 737 industrial designs, i.e. 65.7 and, respectively, 58.9 percent of the total of those filed, which is by 9.1% and, respectively, 18.6% less as compared to 2009. Most of them  182 applications (95.8%) with 724 industrial designs (98.2%)  were filed under the procedure of the Hague Agreement, under the national procedure being filed 8 applications (4.2%) with 13 industrial designs (1.8%). These latter constitute 7.8% and, respectively, 2.5% of the indexes relating to the national procedure.
As in the previous years, the majority of applications filed under the national procedure (92.2%) proceed from the national applicants, and an absolute majority of applications filed under the procedure of the Hague Agreement (97.9%) – from the foreign ones.
In addition to applications for registration, 453 registration renewal applications for 1305 industrial designs were filed in 2010, which is increase by 1.8% and, respectively, decrease by 3% than in the previous year. The absolute majority of renewal applications  393 (86.8%) came from foreign applicants, of which 382 were filed under the Hague Agreement.
During the year 2010 were subjected to substantive examination 126 applications with 762 industrial designs, filed under the national procedure, and 166 international applications with 680 industrial designs, received under the Hague Agreement.
In the year under review, there were issued 88 certificates of registration for 487 industrial designs, which is 6.8 percent more certificates and, respectively, 2 times more industrial designs as compared with 2009.
The number of renewals of international registrations diminished in 2010 by circa 6.5% compared with the previous year. Thus, there have been taken decisions of renewal for 344 international registrations with 987 industrial designs. However, the number of renewed national certificates increased significantly, being issued 74 certificates for renewal (by 32.1% more than the previous year), for 227 industrial designs. Of the number of registrations, which term of validity was expiring in 2010, the weight of renewed international registrations was 43.4% (296 of 682) and of renewed national ones  39.3% (64 of 163).
On 31 December 2010, of the sum total of 1178 industrial designs registration certificates, issued by the Agency throughout its activity, 572 (48.6%) were valid, including 270 renewed, these constituting 47.2% of the valid certificates, and of the sum total of 5936 international registrations of industrial designs that have received protection in the territory of the Republic of Moldova during the same period, 3177 were valid (53.5%), including 2063 renewed, these constituting 64.9% of the valid international registrations.
Statistical information on industrial designs is provided on the AGEPI site: http://www.agepi.md/md/statistica/desene.php

II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes

The most important publications in the field of industrial design documentation are the following:
- The Official Bulletin of Industrial Property Protection (BOPI) – monthly publication (PDF format);
- The National Industrial Designs Register;
- The National Industrial Designs Applications Register.
BOPI includes Sections VI with information on industrial designs. Section VI contains:
- BA1L Applications for registration (bibliographic data and graphic reproduction);
- List of industrial designs applications containing a request on publication delay;
- FF4L List of registered industrial designs;
- FG4L List of industrial design certificates, issued in …(date of issuing);
- ND4L List of renewed industrial designs;
- FG4L List of industrial designs registered in the Republic of Moldova according to the Hague Agreement, ranged in the numerical order and in the order of the ICID;
- ND4L List of renewed industrial designs in the Republic of Moldova according to the Hague Agreement.
Section VII contains various types of notices referring to all amendments occurred to the legal status of the protected industrial property objects (List of amendments, List of cession contracts, Errata, FC9L List of rejected industrial designs, FA9L List of withdrawal industrial designs, MK4L List of industrial design registration certificates the term of validity of which has expired, etc), etc.
The Official Bulletin of Industrial Property Protection (BOPI) is provided on the AGEPI site: http://www.agepi.md/md/cid_pi/periodice/bopi.php

III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of industrial design information according to the classification systems applied

Republic of Moldova became a state party to the Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs (1968) on December 1, 1997.
The Agency uses the International Classification for Industrial Designs since 1994. All the documents are classified according to the Locarno Classification.
The classification symbols (the 9th edition of the Classification) of an application are allotted by the applicant. It is up to the Agency to afterwards check, and eventually to correct, the classification symbols.
The full texts (Romanian and Russian) of the 9th edition of the Locarno Classification (as in force on January 1, 2009) are provided on the AGEPI site:
http://www.agepi.md/pdf/cidmi/CIDMI-editia-9-[md].pdf
http://www.agepi.md/pdf/cidmi/CIDMI-editia-9-[ru].pdf
The classification is used for the novelty examination, for search purposes and for statistics.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

At the disposal of examiners in their daily practice, there are the following databases:
- National automated searchable database “Industrial Design”, supporting a number of search fields. The searches cover a period of 17 years;
- International applications received in the International Design Bulletin (paper form and CD-ROM). The searches cover a period of 22 years;
- Collection of OHIM, RO, RU, UA, HU, UK, FI, SK, SI, CZ, PL, BG, HR, MK, EE, LT, LV, GE, BY, UZ applications received in the Design Bulletins (searchable database or CD-ROM).
Moreover, the manual paper search files consist of special books, periodicals, booklets, and a number of other lists and sources.
The examiner’s search files are updated on a regular basis.

V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs

In 2002 the interface for on-line searches in Data Base “Industrial Design” available in Romanian, English and Russian, was put into operation. At present, the “Industrial designs” Data Base contains information on the applications, published in BOPI, filed from 1993 up to date and on the registered objects. The users have access to the bibliographic data and graphic reproductions of industrial designs.
Data Base “Industrial Design” is provided on the AGEPI site: http://www.db.agepi.md/DMI/Rom/Search.aspx
All examiners have access to the Internet at their desks.
In 2004 a Data Base, including the international applications filled under the Hage system and designating the Republic of Moldova, was elaborated. Since 2009, the Data Base contains all the graphic reproductions of industrial designs. This Data Base is used as a register of the industrial designs and for examination procedure. Moreover, this Data Base is used during the substantive examination of trademarks.

VI. Administration of industrial design information products and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering designs, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts)

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide information on business procedures such as: filing, publication, examination and registration procedures related to industrial designs; opposition and appeal procedures related to industrial designs; etc.

http://www.agepi.md/en/desene/

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

Services rendered by AGEPI
http://www.agepi.md/en/servicii/prestate.php#2

http://www.db.agepi.md/DMI/Rom/consultatii.aspx

Industrial designs. Databases
http://www.agepi.md/en/linkuri/dmi.php

Search in ID Databases
http://www.db.agepi.md/DMI/Eng/Search.aspx

Industrial Designs. Guides on filling in forms
http://www.agepi.md/en/desene/ghid/

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information

VIII. Matters concerning education and training, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)

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

In 2010, AGEPI continued the activities on promotion of the national intellectual property protection system, communication and dissemination of knowledge and information in the field, designed to stimulate the interest of society in intellectual property rights, support and remuneration of authors and innovators, knowledge/based economic growth and development of human resources.
Information stands, round tables and seminars related to procedures for the protection of trademarks and industrial designs, benefits of protection of geographical indications, appellations of origin and TSG, IPO evaluation, brand role in promoting goods and services were organized within 7 national exhibitions, such as:
 Made in Moldova
 ConsumExpo
 Agrotech
 Moldagrotech
 Farmer

An extensive information dissemination and consultancy activity relevant to industrial design protection activities was conducted within following national exhibitions:
 Beauty
 Moldconstruct, Moldenergy
 Tourism, Leisure, Hotels
 Cominfo
 MoldMEDIZIN, MOLDENT
 Reclama&Design
 Food&Drinks

Training courses for national and foreign participants

During the period under review, 15 persons attended the long term courses “Protection of Intellectual Property” organized by the AGEPI (addressing the Industrial Designs Protection issues, also), acquiring certificates of Counselor in Intellectual Property (in 2009-22 persons).

Also, in the framework of the cooperation relations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), one of the AGEPI experts benefited of the Industrial Design Program organized by the Global IP Academy of the USPTO

The AGEPI employees have participated in the following industrial design related issues international events:
 The 23rd session of the Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT), organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), from June 28– July 2, 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland;
 The 24th session of the Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications, held by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), from November 1– 4, 2010, in Geneva, Switzerland;
 The 14th edition of the International scientific-practical Conference „Actual issues on intellectual property”, organized by the State Department of Intellectual Property of Ukraine in collaboration with European Patent Office (EPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), from February 22 – 26, 2010, in Svaleava, Ukraine;
 The 2nd session of the Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System (Appellations of Origin), organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), from August 30 – September 3, 2010, in Geneva, Switzerland;
 The XVI-a edition of the International scientific-practical Conference „Actual issues of intellectual property” organized by the State Department of Intellectual Property of Ukraine (SDIP), from September 6 – 10, 2010, in Yalta, Ukraine;

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 industrial designs