Annual Technical Report 2007 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Trinidad and Tobago (SCIT/ATR/ID/2007/TT)
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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
Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants (registrations) with respect to the previous year
Designers were gaining awareness of the value of industrial designs. In 2007 there were 19 applications, an increase of 12% over 2006. Unlike the trends of the previous year most of the applications were filed by residents. There is as yet no clear pattern in the types of items applied for. Two popular areas where applications were received were jewellery and containers. In 2007 more use was made of the provision that enables multiple designs to be filed with a single application. Trinidad and Tobago is not yet a member of the Hague Agreement.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
There tend to be quite a number of local applicants for industrial designs. The range of products for which protection was applied is quite extensive and includes water tanks, perfume bottles, pendants, clothing and concrete blocks.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes
Publishing, including printing, copying techniques and electronic printing
The Intellectual Property Office of Trinidad and Tobago publishes industrial design in a widely read newspaper only upon grant. Publication can be deferred up to 12 months. These publications contain bibliographic information and one representative drawing. The Office will also provide bibliographic information on applications upon request but minus representations of the designs. Draft and certified copies of granted industrial design could also be ordered.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial design information
The Office conducts public education exercises with visits to schools, businesses, institutions and designer interest groups especially within the Carnival industry in an attempt to promulgate the value and use of industrial design information. Officers also deal with individual requests
Mass storage media and microforms used
The present intellectual property and other legislation require that the main records be submitted and stored on paper. The industrial design data has been computerised for a number of years now.
Databases and office automation
The Office is fully computerised with almost every member of the 40-member staff having access to PCs. It is primarily a Microsoft Windows™ NT network with Microsoft Windows™ 2000 and XP clients. The main office productivity software is Microsoft Office™ 2000.
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of industrial design information according to the classification systems applied
Classification and reclassification activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification), other classification (please indicate whether industrial designs are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)
All industrial design applications are classified internally according to the Locarno Classification system. A national filing requirement is that English is the only language for filing therefore all non-English specifications have to be translated.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
Presently there is a single file per application and this is available only to staff for searching purposes. Searches can be conducted on patent registers and copies of filed documents can be subsequently ordered. Typically these filed documents include the certificates on file.
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
The industrial design data has been computerised. Bibliographic information has been captured and the graphic representations are now being captured via scanning of the document.
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)
Planning, administration, automation, security
There is a technical library primarily to provide access to patent technical information in on-line databases and the CD and DVD-ROM collections and information on plant breeders’ rights but there are no special facilities to provide access to industrial design information as yet.
Collection management, preservation
Searches of the registers are usually conducted by patent attorneys, agents and their personnel and members of the public to a lesser extent. The industrial design agents and companies also submit written requests for state of the art searches and infringement checks. These searches are conducted by the professional staff (patent examiners, technical information specialist).
Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and industrial design information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)
Technical documents and case files do not leave the custody of the Intellectual Property Office for public lending or otherwise.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
There is presently no exchange of industrial design documentation. Annual reports are exchanged with interested offices.
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.)
Individual consultations are conducted in the use and value of industrial design information.
Training courses for national and foreign participants
The Trinidad and Tobago Intellectual Property Office, because of its level of development, hosts, in an on-going fashion, many study visits by personnel from other countries. Also its professional and technical staff are frequently asked by WIPO to conduct missions to the other countries in the Caribbean to deal with needs assessment, trademarks, PCT and automation issues but not industrial design issues as yet.
Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)
Every year about 4 national and/or regional activities are hosted, often in conjunction with WIPO. The weeks preceding World Intellectual Property Day are used to host several activities culminating in an open house display at the Office.