Annual Technical Report 2012 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Lithuania (CWS/ATR/PI/2012/LT)
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
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants with respect to the previous year
In 2012, 118 applications have been filed with the SPB , 109 of those were filed by Lithuanian applicants.
Conventional priority was requested for 8 patent applications
In 2012 6 international applications proceeded to the national level, all of them had
priority(-ies) of earlier application(-s). In 2012 10 international applications were filed with SPB
as receiving office.
In 2011 22 applications for supplementary protection certificates were filed
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
In 2012 the rise of number of patent applications filed by legal entities is noticeable, showing growth of 59 percent over 2011
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to patents
Statistics of the year 2012 (national filings and PCT national phase entries, national patents
granted on the basis of national filings and PCT national phase entries, national patent
applications pending, national patents in force) is provided on
SPB website http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=321
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information
Publishing, printing, copying (main types of publications of the Office in the field of patent information, etc.)
The SPB official patent publications are:
Patent Applications (A documents);
Patent Specifications (B documents);
Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of patent information
BB1A Patent Applications published ;
FG9A Patents published ;
FD9A Patent Applications withdrawn ;
MM9A Patents lapsed ;
PC9A Transfer of Patents ;
QA9A Licensing ;
QB9A Licensing ;
PD9A, TA9A, TC9A TH9A Changes in Patents published ;
BB1A International Patent Applications published ;
BB1D European Patent Applications published ;
FG9D European Patents published ;
BB4D European Patent Applications published ;
FG4D European Patents published ;
MG9D Revocation of European Patent extension;
MG4D Revocation of European Patents;
PD9D, DC9D, TH9A Changes in European Patents published ;
PC9D Transfer of Patents published;
QB9D Licensing ;
MF9D European Patents revoked ;
MM9D Cancellation of European Patent extension ;
ND9D Applications for Supplementary Protection Certificates published;
ND9D Supplementary Protection Certificates published ;
ND1D Decisions not to grant Supplementary Protection Certificates published ;
TH9D, TK9D Rectifications.
Sections of the Official Bulletin have been coded in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.17
(New) techniques used for the generation of patent information (printing, recording, photocomposing, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), etc.)
Lithuanian B documents have been scanned by the SPB with EPO official tool epoScan in standardised exchange facsimile format (WIPO ST. 33).
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online publication of patent documents and gazettes, and to other primary and secondary sources of patent information, including patent publication servers and download of bulk patent data
Databases of Patents of the Republic of Lithuania and of European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania have been accessible on SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?l=en&n=333
III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents
Abstracting, reviewing, translating
Lithuanian language invention abstracts of patent applications and patents have been published as presented by applicants
English language abstracts to be published on the Espacenet database have been translated by SPB examiners.
Classification1, preclassification2 (if applicable), and reclassification3 activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC), other classification (please indicate whether or not patent documents are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)
Applications are classified in accordance with the International Patent Classification, core level.
The dossiers of the patent applications are kept on paper in numerical order under the application number.
The European patent applications are stored in numerical order under the number of the request for validation.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file at Lithuanian technical library (LTL) stocks and have been updated with full text patent documents from countries and organizations (AM, BY, CA, DK, EA, EP, FI, GB, GE, JP, KG, KZ, LT, MD, RU, TJ, UA, UZ).
Bibliographic data and full-text processing
The SPB Official Bulletin Sections have been coded in accordance with WIPO Standard.17
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
File building
Lithuanian technical library (LTL)- is a specialized library of national significance, open to the public; LTL is the country's largest library, accumulating the collection of printings in areas of technology and economics, descriptions of inventions, standards and other normative documents, company registers and catalogues. LTL is the centre of the methodology of the network of technical libraries and inter-library subscription (TBA). At the end of 2012 LTL had a collection of 48.6 million printings and documents (descriptions of inventions constituting the largest part), and 8,200 registered subscriptions. 1.6 million documents were acquired, around 45 thousand readers visited the library, more than 270 thousand exemplars of documents were issued, around 6.7 thousand requests were carried out, and almost 200 exhibitions and events were organized in the year 2012.
Documents are issued for the subscribers of the library to take away, and to read in specialised reading rooms (general, patent information, electronic information, foreign literature, bibliography), also in the reading rooms of the branches; documents that are not in possession of LTL are ordered from other libraries of the country and of other countries, via the TBA; services are provided to organizations according to yearly agreements; thematic, factual, revisionary, and informational queries, also consultations on search for information are performed; the users have access to subscription databases and other sources of electronic information; thematic exhibitions, seminars, and other events are being organized in the library; thematic digest "Information and the Library" is published quarterly.
Updating
At the end of 2012 LTL had a collection of 48.6 million printings and documents (descriptions of inventions constituting the largest part).
Storage, including mass storage media
The dossiers of the patent applications are kept on paper in numerical order under the application number
The European patent applications are stored in numerical order under the number of the request for validation
The Lithuanian Technical Library is a specialized library of national significance, open to the public; its main objectives are: ensuring the needs of users to receive scientific technical information, organizing dissemination of patent information, and creating possibilities to use all information resources of the library. LTL is the country's largest library, accumulating the collection of printings in areas of technology and economics, descriptions of inventions, standards and other normative documents, company registers and catalogues. LTL is the centre of the methodology of the network of technical libraries and inter-library subscription (TBA).
V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems
In-house systems (online/offline)
The SPB published on its website (http://www.vpb.lt/en/) the Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks and databases of Lithuanian Patents and European Patents entered into force in the Republic
of Lithuania. SPB website Databases have been an exact copy of the data stored in the Common Software Databases. Common Software Databases contained bibliographic, legal status data, abstract data, national patent applications (A documents) and national patent specifications (B documents), translated claims of European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania included
External databases
SPB regularly uses the Espacenet database that offers the free access to more than 70 million patent documents all over the world
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
Statistics of national patents has been also provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=321).
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used
Workstations connected to the Office network are of the Office staff direct service. The computers run WINDOWS(HP, VISTA, 7) and MS OFFICE -2003/2007/2010 software
VI. Administration of the industrial property office library, and information products 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)
Collecting, acquisitions, preparation
The Lithuanian Technical library has its divisions in cities of Kaunas, Klaipėda, and Panevėžys.
On January 1, 2013, LTL had a collection of 48.6 million printings and documents (descriptions of inventions constituting the largest part), and 8,200 registered subscriptions. 1.6 million documents were acquired, around 45 thousand readers visited the library, more than 270 thousand exemplars
of documents were issued, around 6.7 thousand requests were carried out, and almost 200 exhibitions and events were organized in the year 2012.
The website of LTL registered around 340 thousand external visits in the year 2012.
The division of the library Patent information centre (PIC) is a depository library of industrial property documents and patent literature, the centre of patent information services, of the compilation, publishing and distribution of patent documentation in Lithuania. Together with the State Patent Bureau (SPB) and LTL branches, the network of country's PATLIB centres is formed, providing patent information and documentation services to the public.
Patent clinics (service of free consultations for inventors on the issues of patenting inventions) are available since year 2007 in LTL in the cities of Vilnius, Kaunas and Panevezys . Consultations are carried out by the patent attorneys of the Republic of Lithuania.
Collection management, preservation
Lithuanian Technical Library (LTL) offered for visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with a wide range of Lithuanian publications (SPB Official Bulletin, full text of patent specifications in paper and CD-ROM format, etc.), Official Gazettes, patent bibliography of foreign states and intergovernmental organisations on CD/DVD-ROMs, sets of communications and regulations in 2012.
The visitors of LTL had been consulted on the spot as well as by phone or e-mail and had an opportunity to order patent search.
Interlibrary lending, resource sharing, networks of patent libraries in the country
At Lithuanian Technical Library documents are issued for the subscribers of the library to take away, and to read in specialised reading rooms (general, patent information, electronic information, foreign literature, bibliography), also in the reading rooms of the branches; documents that are
in possession of LTL are ordered from other libraries of the country and of other countries, via the TBA; services are provided to organizations according to yearly agreements; thematic, factual, revisionary, and informational queries, also consultations on search for information are performed; the users have access to subscription databases and other sources of electronic information;
thematic exhibitions, seminars, and other events are being organized in the library; thematic digest "Information and the Library" and information publication „Protection of Industrial Property“ are published quarterly.
Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and patent information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)
Search for patents in the CD-ROM databases, Internet and other services have been provided by Patent Information Centre of Lithuanian Technical Library (http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm)
LTL website (http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm) provided scanned Lithuanian patent A and B documents
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of patent applications
It is not possible to file patent applications or any other document with the SPB electronically
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide information on business procedures such as: filing, publication, examination and grant procedures related to patents; opposition and appeal procedures related to patents; etc.
Legal acts have been provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?n=296&l=en
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., patent search service(s) and patent databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them
SPB published on its website (http://www.vpb.lt/en/) the Official Gazette Inventions, Designs, Trademarks and databases of Lithuanian Patents and European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania.
Statistics of national patents has been provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=321).
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information
International or regional cooperation in the exchange of machine-readable information, e.g., bibliographic data, abstract and/or full text information
The distribution of official patent publications of the SPB in foreign states and intergovernmental organisations
on the basis of mutual exchange has been effected by LTL.
Bibliographic, legal status data, abstracts in Lithuanian and English of Lithuanian patent applications and
patents, extracted from SPB Common Software Database, have been posted on EPO FTP sites prior to the actual publication date.
Scanned Patent Specifications (B documents) SPB sent to the Espacenet database. Lithuanian Patent
Applications (A documents) have been not available on the Espacenet database.
The bibliographic, legal status data on Lithuanian Patent Applications, PCT Applications, Lithuanian Patents and European Patents have been supplied to EPO to be included into INPADOC PFS, INPADOC PRS and Espacenet.
PCT Applications data have been also supplied to WIPO to be included into PATENTSCOPE® search service database.
Medium used for exchange of priority documents
Format in paper form has been used for exchange of priority documents and for filing of patent applications
Medium allowed for filing applications
Patent applications should be filed only on paper
VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)
Training courses for national and foreign participants, use of audiovisual means
Special courses with lectures and practical case study were provided to candidates for industrial property representatives
Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)
On September 4-5 2012, Trakai hosted a regional seminar for judges on the implementation of intellectual property rights organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in cooperation with the State Patent Bureau (SPB). The event was attended by 35 judges and their assistants from Lithuania, and 6 judges and their assistants from higher courts of Estonia, Poland and Moldova. At the seminar, reports
were presented by representatives of WIPO, SPB, the Ministry of Justice, scholars and practitioners working in the area of the protection of intellectual property rights.
This is the fifth time that Lithuania together with WIPO organizes a training for judges and law enforcement personnel, with primary goal being – to provide the participants with knowledge of intellectual property, trends and problems of its development; to discuss the global and the European Union case law dealing with intellectual property disputes; and to enable the representatives of the Lithuanian law enforcement institutions to share their experience of handling intellectual property cases with colleagues from other countries
On 6 - 8th November 2012 in Hamburg (Germany) representatives from the State Patent Bureau of Lithuania together with representatives from patent offices of Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia participated in the patent information conference EPOPIC 2012 which was jointly organized by European Patent Office with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA). Conference main speakers were representatives from European patent office, commercial patent information providers offered an insight on their range of services, providing further evidence of the rapidly growing importance of their business for the expanding global technology market. Also, in parallel with the conference an exhibition was held. During exhibition the European patent office and private commercial companies, related with patent information, and national patent offices introduced audience with their services and activities.
On December 5th 2012 Klaipėda Science and Technology Park hosted a national seminar “Intellectual Property as the Tool for Competiveness and Innovation“ organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in cooperation with the State Patent Bureau (SPB).At the seminar, reports were presented by representatives of WIPO, SPB, scholars and practitioners working in the area of the
protection of intellectual property rights.
In the year 2012 seminars for patent attorneys, state representatives, lawyers were held seeking
to present new patent law of the Republic of Lithuania,industrial property legislation and current issues, establishing a Unified Patent Court.
Studies to identify trends in new technology, e.g., by the use of patent statistics and preparation of monographs
N/A
Assistance furnished by offices to facilitate the changing over of receiving offices to electronic data carriers for the exchange of patent documents (see also fourth sub-item of item VI, above)
N/A
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 patents
The SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=EN) provided information on legislation related to
patents in 2012
contain the Annual Report of the Office
http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=318
contain patent-related news regarding the Office
The SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=EN) contained patent related news
X. 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. |