SCIT.ATR.PI.2002.TT

Annual Technical Report 2002 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Trinidad and Tobago (SCIT/ATR/PI/2002/TT)

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

While total applications experienced a slight decrease to 223 in 2002 from 239 in 2001, the number of grant certificates delivered increased from 3 in 2001 to 17 in 2002. This is due mainly to the increasing confidence and expertise of the examiners as their examination skills increased. The percentage of Patent Cooperation Treay (PCT) applications effecting national entry as a proportion of total applications also increased from 81% in 2001 to 96% in 2002. Trinidad and Tobago switched from a registration system to a full examination system in December 1997. After the major change in the examination system in 1997, the Office experienced a subsequent decrease in filings but they steadily rebounded until 2001 when the number of filings in 2001 surpassed the previous 1997 high mark.

ApplicationsforPatentsattheIntellectualPropertyOffice

Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year

As was the case before 1997 (when the law changed from a registration to examination system), the composition of patent filings continued to reflect the industrial and marketing priorities of the major industries within the country. Most of them were in the area of petroleum and natural gas exploration, production, refinement, transportation and related downstream secondary and tertiary products. Most of the remainder were for pharmaceuticals.

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 Intellectual Property Office of Trinidad and Tobago publishes granted patents in the government Gazette and a widely read newspaper only upon grant. There is no early or 18 month publication as with the PCT and some countries. These publications contain bibliographic information, the abstract and one representative drawing where possible. The Office will also provide bibliographic information on applications upon request but minus abstracts and drawings. Draft and certified copies of granted patents can also be ordered.

Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of patent information

The Office conducts public education exercises with visits to schools, businesses, institutions and interest groups in an attempt to promulgate the value and use of patent technical information. Officers also deal with individual requests. The Office is establishing a technical library to provide public access to Internet based patent databases and patent information contained on CD and DVD ROMs such as the Espace World publications.

Mass storage media used (paper, microforms, optical storage, etc.)

The present intellectual property and other legislation require that the main records be submitted and stored on paper. However the trademark and patent records and administration are handled by an automated system and these databases are administered on an internal server with a tape backup. Patent and non-patent information from the PCT publications, US Patent and Trademark Office, Espace World and Access, French Patents Bref and Japanese patent abstracts are contained on optical disks.

Word processing and office automation

The Office is fully computerised with nearly every member of the 35-member staff having access to PCs. It is a mixed network with Microsoft Windows NT and 2000 servers with Windows NT, 2000 and XP professional clients. The main office productivity software is Microsoft Office 2000. The trademark and patent databases are Oracle based and the automation features accessible by members of staff but not the public as yet.

III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents

Abstracting, reviewing, translating

Ninety eight percent (98%) of the applications entering Trinidad and Tobago are equivalents of foreign filings and of those 98% arrive via the Patent Cooperation Treaty for national phase entry. Therefore, most of the applications arrive already abstracted and classified according to the International Patent Classification system. Classifications in the latest (7th Edition) would have to be done for local applications and for older patents being entered into the database. 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

File building

Presently, there is a single paper file per application and this is available only to staff for searching purposes. Searches can be conducted by members of the public on patent registers and copies of filed documents for granted patents can also be subsequently ordered. Typically these filed documents exclude any certificates on file.

V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems

In-house systems (online/offline)

The internal patent database is available only to staff at present. The system does have an Internet module for on-line searching via the internally hosted website but the module is not yet offered to the public.

External databases

The patent examiners make extensive use of external on-line patent databases (US, Canadian, European, Japanese and Australian) and pharmaceutical monographs. They also have access via jukebox to the collection of optical disks.

Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics, administrative support, etc.)

Registers are generated after publication and gives an enforceable date to the grant. The registers recite the entire legal status, assignments and licenses pertaining to the patent. Statistics are compiled for annual reports and to track trends in applications and grants. External statistics are occasionally tracked. They are presently tabulated manually until all the data is loaded into the automated system.

Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used

The PC clients are a mixture of Intel-based brand name and generic machines from 400MHz to 1.6GHz machines running Windows NT, 2000 and XP Professional. The network stems from a group of low end servers running Windows NT and 2000 Server connected via switches and hubs in a 10/100 Cat. 5 network. The network also operates behind a firewall.

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)

Planning, administration, automation, security, buildings

The Intellectual Property Office is located on an entire floor within a building housing other departments of the Ministry. The vault is on the ground floor next to another vault but the vault area is not shared. The operations of the Intellectual Property Office are situated “behind” the front desk or receiving office. From there inquiries for further information are funneled and persons directed to relevant members of staff or library facilities for searches of the registers to be conducted. Materials from the vault are requested by members of staff for the public to use. By and large the office is laid out to limit the unnecessary penetration by members of the public into the heart of the operations to minimize their possible contact with confidential case files and the data servers. Besides security personnel in the ground lobby, there are also security personnel on the Office floor. The entire building has 24/7 security. The automated system and the web servers are hosted in-house to retain control and security of the physical infrastructure.

Collecting, acquisitions, preparation

Searches of the registers are usually conducted by patent attorneys, agents and their personnel and members of the public to a lesser extent. The patent 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). The professional and technical staff also prepare publication notices for delivery to the publishers and also prepare the certificates for the published patents and generate the registers.

Collection management, preservation

Physical documents are housed in an air-conditioned vault when not in use by staff. Patents are arranged according to application number but specially tagged to indicate grant. Electronic data is periodically backed up on a tape drive.

Interlibrary lending, resource sharing, networks of patent libraries in the country

Technical documents and case files do not leave the custody of the Intellectual Property Office for public lending or otherwise.

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)

A technical library was recently established primarily to provide access to patent technical information in on-line databases and the CD and DVD-ROM collections loaded into a jukebox and procedural information on plant breeders’ rights. Some technical information is also available on the web site at www.ipo.gov.tt.

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

There is presently no exchange of patent documentation. Cooperation with the European Patent Office is under consideration.

Medium used for exchange of priority documents

Priority documents are exchanged upon request and in paper format only.

Medium allowed for filing applications

Applications must be filed in paper.

Implementation of the Statement of Principles Concerning the Changeover to Electronic Data Carriers for the Exchange of Patent Documents (please provide a status report on the extent to which your Office has changed over to electronic data carriers for the exchange of patent documents)

While the Office supports the notion of electronic filing, significant changes will have to be made to several other pieces of legislation affect the validity of electronic documents, electronic signatures and what constitutes evidence, to name a few. However, the Office is moving in anticipation of such changes with the establishment of the electronic databases and its participation in the formulation of the National Information Communication and Technology Plan which embraces all of those issues for the wider public.

VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries

Training courses for national and foreign participants, use of audiovisual means

Individual consultations are conducted in the use and value of patent information. Also consultants, when invited to conduct staff training, are also invited to share their expertise with the legal, scientific and business community in the use of patent information. This usually occurs about twice per year.

Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)

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, both regional neighbours and from as far away as Mongolia. 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.

Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, 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. Several other smaller consultations are hosted in-house for interest groups and other stakeholders. Articles produced by the staff are also published in the press and trade publications and radio and television appearances are occasionally made by the staff.

Studies to identify trends in new technology, e.g., by the use of patent statistics, preparation of monographs, etc.

An internal patent information study was conducted about 2 years ago and the results are still being acted upon – the Office has limited resources to conduct extensive outreach.

IX. Other relevant matters