Annual Technical Report 2004 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Slovenia (SCIT/ATR/PI/2004/SI)
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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
National patent applications: 360 in 2004
PCT applications in national phase: 24 in 2004
European patent extended to SI: 1066 in 2004.
NATIONAL PATENT APPLICATIONS
In 2004, SIPO received 384 national applications, 3.8 % more than the preceding year. 360 of those applications were regular, which is the highest number in the last eight years and an 11.8 % increase over the preceding year. 24 PCT applications in the national phase denote an expected drop of 50 %, since the "national route" ceased to exist on 1 December 2002; however, PCT applications will still have been filed until July 2005.
After the abolishment of the PCT national phase, the patent protection in Slovenia on the basis of an international application can only be obtained through PCT-EP route, with the designation of Slovenia.
In 2004, SIPO received also 14 applications for short-term patents (the so-called patty inventions, which are in some countries protected as utility models). These applications, all filed by domestic applicants, are statistically included in the total number of national patent applications.
NATIONAL PATENT APPLICATIONS BY ORIGIN
Out of the total of 384 national applications received in 2004, 342 were filed by Slovenian residents, a 10 % increase over the preceding year, and 42 by foreign applicants which represents a drop of 28.8 %.
OUTGOING SLOVENIAN PCT APPLICATIONS
SIPO functions as the receiving Office under the PCT, forwarding international applications to the International Bureau. In 2004, 49 PCT applications were filed by Slovenian residents which is the biggest number up to now. The rise in the number of PCT applications in the last two years could certainly be attributed also to the simplification of the application procedure.
OUTGOING SLOVENIAN APPLICATIONS FOR EUROPEAN PATENTS
In 2004, Slovenian residents filed 27 applications for European patents with SIPO as the receiving Office which gained that competence when Slovenia became a member of the European Patent Organisation in December 2002. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 107 %.
SUPPLEMENTARY PROTECTION CERTIFICATE APPLICATIONS
After accession of Slovenia to the European Union, Council Regulation (EEC) No 1768/92 of 18 June 1992 concerning the creation of a supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products and Regulation (EC) No 1610/96 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 concerning the creation of a supplementary protection certificate for plant protection products, with all subsequent amendments, are directly applicable for supplementary protection certificates. Out of 59 submitted supplementary protection certificate applications, one related to plant protection product and the rest to medicinal products.
PATENTS GRANTED
In 2004, 1346 patents were entered in the SIPO register, 6.8 % less than the preceding year. This number includes patents granted on the basis of national applications as well as European patents granted on the basis of European patent applications in which Slovenia has been designated or extension of the patent to Slovenia has been requested. By the end of 2004, 5678 patents were in force in Slovenia.
PATENTS GRANTED ON THE BASIS OF NATIONAL APPLICATIONS
In 2004, 280 patents were granted on the basis of national applications, a decrease of 8.8 % compared to the previous year. The share of domestic patent owners increased by 22.1 % and the share of foreign patent owners decreased by 65.7 %.
EUROPEAN PATENTS ENTERED IN THE SIPO REGISTER (T1)
In 2004 the number of European patents granted on the basis of European patent applications in which Slovenia has been designated or extension of the patent to Slovenia has been requested, and which were entered in the SIPO register, decreased by 6.3 % compared to the previous year.
PATENTS GRANTED BY ORIGIN IN 2004
Most patents were granted to applicants from Slovenia (86.8 %), followed by applicants from U.S. (2.5 %), and Germany (2.1 %). European patents entered in the SIPO register are not included in this statistics.
PATENTS GRANTED BY IPC IN 2004
The majority of patents granted to domestic applicants belong to sections A (27.2 %), B (19.3 %) and G (14.4 %), whereas the majority of patents granted to foreign applicants belong to sections A (35.1 %), C (21.6 %) and B (18.9 %). European patents entered in the SIPO register are not included in this statistics.
DECLARATORY DECISIONS UNDER ARTICLE 93 OF THE ACT
As SIPO does not carry out substantive examinations of patent applications, owners of patents or exclusive rights from patents must submit no later than the expiry of the ninth year of the patent term evidence that the patented invention satisfies the requirements of the Act, i.e. novelty, an inventive step and industrial applicability. On the basis of such evidence, SIPO issues one of declaratory decisions. In 2004, 46 documents of evidence were submitted and 48 decisions were issued, out of which 22 under Article 93(1)(a), stating that the claims entirely meet the requirements, and 26 under Article 93(1)(b) on the basis of which the claims were modified.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information
SIPO publishes documents on granted patents (A), patents of addition (A1), patents with amended claims (B) and translations of claims of European patents extended to Slovenia (T1).
In the Official Bulletin (BIL - Bilten za Industrijsko Lastnino) SIPO publishes announcements of issued patent documents (bibliographic data and abstracts) and published European patent applications with designation to Slovenia (bibliographic data).
Patent documents are stored on CD-ROM (Espace-SI), which is running under Mimosa software and contains bibliographic data, English abstracts and images of all published patents.
III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents
Abstracts and titles of all national applications are translated into English language and used for Espace-SI CD-ROM production and for on-line database, offered by SIPO.
Patent documents are classified according to the IPC version 7, using its indexing scheme. Up to now, data in on-line database are not reclassified.
SIPO maintains on-line database containing bibliographic data and abstracts of all published patents in Slovene and English language. Up to now, there were no actions toward full-text processing.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
Search files consist of patent documents on electronic media exclusively (CD-ROM series). They are updated through the exchange with other Offices.
V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used
- 2Mbit/s leased line used for Internet connection, CISCO Network Equipment (LAN based on Fast Ethernet and Gigabit solutions),
- Digital Alpha 2100 mainframe with Open VMS operating system and RMS for database; terminals VT 420 and VT 510;
- Windows environment: NT4.0 and 2003 for servers; workstations Compaq/HP Pentium with NT4.0 and XP,
- 2048/512 kbit/s ADSL line for Patnet2 VPN.
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)
SIPO on-line information service includes bibliographic databases on SI-patent register, EP published applications designating SI, PCT published applications designating SI, and other. Patent register database is updated daily, and includes also legal status information. This service is offered to public in our library free of charge and, externally, under special agreement.
SIPO also offers SDI-selective dissemination of information service on ESPACE INPADOC database, provides documents from CD-ROM collection, opinions on novelty and patentibility from foreign Offices issued on the basis of special agreements, access to foreign databases, and other.
On SIPO Web Site there are basic information on filing of the applications, application forms and the list of Slovene patent agents.
A database containing all published Slovene patent documents is available free of charge on SIPO website.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information
Under bilateral agreements, SIPO exchanges CD-ROMs with several patent Offices.
Priority documents can be exchanged only in paper form.
Applications can be filed in paper form only.
VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries
SIPO organised several presentations and seminar on patent protection for domestic applicants, inventors and industry outside the Office premises.
IX. 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. |