Annual Technical Report 2012 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by Lithuania (CWS/ATR/TM/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.
I. Evolution of registration activities
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to the previous year
Application filings and registrations in 2012:
In year 2012 2,270 trademark applications were filed with the SPB, among them:
1,996 (88 percent) of the Lithuanian applicants,
274 (12 percent) of the foreign applicants.
In year 2012 643 transfers of rights and 27 license agreements 2,013 changes at the Register, 1856 renewals, 227 securities of mark rights (withdrawals of securities) and 42 seizures (withdrawals of seizures) were entered into the Register of the Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania, 1,199 registrations were cancelled, 1,135 registrations among them were cancelled without extension of the effect time of the registration.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
RU, DE, CN, CH,HU,FR,PL,BX were the leading countries of filing as reflected in 2012
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to trademarks
Statistics of the year 2012 (national trademark applications and national trademark registrations, national trademarks in force) has been provided on SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?l=en&n=321).
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes
Publishing, printing, copying techniques
The SPB publishes applications for national trademarks and registered national trademarks, and international trademarks designating the territory of the Republic of Lithuania in the Official Bulletin which is a monthly edition. Since July 2009 the paper version has been discontinued and the bulletin is published exclusively in electronic form.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of trademark information
The Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks contained announcements published in 2012
FG9Y Registrations published in accordance with Article 16 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
MF9Y Registrations invalidated in accordance with Article 18 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
RL9Y Registrations left valid by Court renewal of registration of the mark in accordance with Article 36 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
PD9Y, TC9Y, TH9Y Changes in the Register on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with Article 23 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
PA9T Replacement of national registration by international registration in accordance with Article 33 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND9Y Renewal of registration of the mark in accordance with Article 36 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
MM9Y Registrations lapsed in accordance with Article 24 and Article 36 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
PC9Y Transfer of registration of the mark in accordance with Article 43 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
QB9Y Licensing (sublicensing) in accordance with Article 44 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
QC9Y Licensing (sublicensing) contracts removed from the Register in accordance with Article 44 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG9Y Registrations invalidated in accordance with Article 46 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
MA9Y Registrations removed from the Register in accordance with Article 24 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
RC9Y Pledging of the mark in accordance with Article 45 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
RD9Y Attachment of the Registrations in accordance with Article 45 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
TK9Y Rectifications;
MF9T Invalidation of international registration extension to the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with Article 34 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
QB9T Licensing (sublicensing) by holder of international registration of the mark in accordance with Article 34 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG9T Invalidation of international registration extension to the Republic of Lithuania in accordance with Article 46 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania;
CZ9Y Decisions adopted by the Division of Appeals of the State Patent Bureau in accordance with Article 18 of the Law on Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania.
Sections of the Official Bulletin have been coded in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.17.
Mass storage media and microforms used
The bibliographic data and images are stored in our administrative management system Common Software (CS). The Office maintains a complete history of its trademark files in paper form (dossier)
Word processing and office automation
Common Software (CS) v. 3.31
Techniques used for the generation of trademark information (printing, recording, photocomposing, etc.)
A publishing system with Epson scanner, a laser printer HP Laser Jet, PC Intel Pentium Based with Windows XP. All data including figurative elements are extracted from our administrative management system CS
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online trademark gazettes and to other sources of trademark information, including download of bulk trademark data
SPB Official Bulletin has been published in an electronic format and has been accessible on SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=245).
Database of the Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania has been accessible on SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=300).
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of trademark information
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 (please indicate whether goods and services for the registration of marks and whether the figurative elements of marks are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification(s) is (are) used)
The ninth edition of the International Classification of Goods and Services (Nice Classification);
the sixth edition of the International Classification of the Figurative Elements of the Marks (Vienna Classification).
Use of electronic classification systems to check the classification symbols furnished by an applicant and which are contained in the lists of goods and/or services
N/A
Obligation for applicants to use pre-defined terms of the classification applied
Yes
Bibliographic data and processing
Internationally agreed Numbers for the Identification of Data (INID Codes) relating to trademarks have been used in the Register of Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania and in SPB Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
File Building
The State Patent Bureau of the Republic of Lithuania (SPB) published on its website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=245) the Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks and database of Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania.
Updating
Data is provided and updated daily from 0.00 a.m. until 6.00 a.m.
Storage, including mass storage media
The SPB maintains all data concerning applications and registered trademarks on paper (dossier) and in electronic form in the administrative management system CS
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
Industrial Property search and other services have been also provided by Patent Information Centre of Lithuanian Technical Library (http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm).
V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems
In-house systems (online/offline)
Employees of IT Division of the State Patent Bureau of Lithuania maintained TMView system, providing information on trademarks registered by the SPB to the portal http://www.tmview.europa.eu of the Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM).
Online trademark database was improved by adding seniority data.
Technical requirements were drafted together with the Appeals Division of the SPB for internal and online databases of trademark appeals and oppositions, software development services were bought and installation of these databases was being proceeded. Information on trademark appeals and oppositions shall be published on the website of the SPB and accessible to everyone.
Specification of the Trademark register has been agreed with Information Society Development Committee. It described the purpose of the register, goals, objectives, the available status of the register, modular and functional structure, information streams and processes, functions performed at the workstation and their interconnection and requirements set for the register.
In the very end of 2012 in close collaboration of the State Patent Bureau with the Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market (trademarks and designs) (OHIM) according to Cooperation fund programme for Lithuania OHIM Seniority project was implemented. The project allows seeing the information on the Community trademarks which have an earlier validity date based on the trademark registration in Lithuania in the Database of the Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania
External databases
CTM ONLINE database on OHIM's web-site;
TMview database on OHIM's web -site
ROMARIN database on WIPO's web-site
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
Database of the Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania has been accessible on SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=300).
The SPB website Trademark Database has been an exact copy of the data stored in the Register of Trademark of the Republic of Lithuania and contained data on trademarks registered and applications filed directly with the State Patent Bureau of the Republic of Lithuania
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used
Server: Unix,Informix for trademark databases
VI. Administration of trademark information products and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering trademarks, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts)
Collection management, preservation
The trademarks search file (bibliographic data) is managed in electronic form. Data is extracted and updated simultaneously from our administrative management system CS.
Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and trademark information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)
LTL also offered for visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with a wide range of Lithuanian publications (SPB Official Bulletin, etc.), Official Gazettes 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 trademark search.
Search for the international and Community trademarks and other services also have been provided by Patent Information Centre of LTL (http://www.tb.lt/PIC/PIC.htm).
SPB published on its website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/en) the Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks and database of Trademarks of the Republic of Lithuania.
URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of trademark applications
In 2012 it was not possible to file trademarks applications
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 trademarks; opposition and appeal procedures related to trademarks; etc.
SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?n=296&l=en) provided information on legislation related to trademarks;
website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?n=184&l=lt) provided information (e.g. forms) on filing, registration, renewal and other procedures.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., trademark search service(s) and trademark databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them
http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?n=184&l=lt (in Lithuanian only)
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of trademark documentation and information
International or regional cooperation in the exchange of trademark information, e.g., in the form of official gazettes
SPB Official Bulletin has been published in an electronic format and has been accessible on SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=245).
Exchange of machine-readable information
N/A
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 2012 in cooperation with Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market of European Union (OHIM) a seminar "Impact of EU Court of Justice judgments on the development of trademark protection in the European Union " took place in Vilnius. Representatives of the SPB participated at the information day "How to protect trademarks and designs in Lithuania and EU" organized by Kaunas Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts and "Open-door" days which took place at the patent information centres in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys, Šiauliai .
Training courses for national and foreign participants
In year 2012 experts of the SPB attended 11 technical cooperation meetings of OHIM and representatives of national patent offices, meetings of OHIM and representatives of the patent service on the matters concerning trademarks and design; employees of the SPB attended trainings organized by OHIM.
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
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 trademarks
SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?n=296&l=en) provided information on legislation related to trademarks
contain the Annual Report of the Office
The Annual Review of the Office has been included on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.gov.lt/index.php?l=en&n=318).
if necessary, provide further information related to the topics referred to in the current ATR
N/A
provide open source codes related to trademark information systems
N/A
contain trademark-related news regarding the Office
N/A
X. Other relevant matters
In 2012, Lithuanian industrial property statistical data had been submitted to WIPO to be published in its publication Industrial Property Statistics