Annual Technical Report 2011 on Trademark Information Activities submitted by Ireland (CWS/ATR/TM/2011/IE)
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
The number of National Trade Mark applications received during 2011 was 2,251 compared to 2,239 in 2010. The number of International Registrations designating Ireland filed during 2011 was 1,410 compared to 1530 in 2010.
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
National applications increased by 0.53% in 2011 and International Registrations designating Ireland were down by 7.84% in 2011 compared to 2010.
URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to trademarks
http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/publications_report.aspx
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of secondary sources of trademark information, i.e., trademark gazettes
Publishing, printing, copying techniques
The fortnightly Official Journal is published in both HTML and pdf versions on the Office's website. A pdf version can be downloaded and a search/browse facility is also available. Each Journal issue has a searchable index, along with information on actions relating to patent, trade mark and design applications and registrations. The list of registered trade mark includes those registered both by our Office and by the OHIM having Ireland as a designated state.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of trademark information
The Patents Office Journal published every fortnight contains information on changes to the status of applications and registrations related to trade marks e.g. withdrawals, refusals, lapses etc, also official notices and details of methods of payment of statutory fees.
Word processing and office automation
All staff in the Patents Office is equipped with networked PCs running Novell Netware. Standard automation products available to all staff include Microsoft Office products such as Word and Excel.
Techniques used for the generation of trademark information (printing, recording, photocomposing, etc.)
The main channels for distribution of trade mark information are:
a) The Patents Office Journal – advertisement of Trade Mark applications and registrations and information on changes to the status of trade mark e.g. withdrawals, refusals, lapses etc.
b) The Patents Office website – trademark information e.g. application process, classification, searching etc. Important announcements in relation to trademarks e.g. changes in legislation are displayed on the home page under ‘What’s New’.
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
Patents Office website: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/homepage.aspx
Download a pdf version of the Journal: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/publications_download.aspx
A search/browse facility is also available: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/webjournal/default.aspx
Trademark information: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/trademark.aspx
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 Irish Patents Office uses the “Nice Agreement Concerning International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purpose of the Registration of Marks” (NICE Classification) 9th edition. For figurative marks the office uses a version of the Vienna classification system.
The Patents Office also offers assistance on classification through use of the EUROCLASS tool. EUROCLASS was developed as a cooperation project with the OHIM and national trade mark offices from a number of EU member states. It is hosted by the OHIM website and may also be accessed from the pages dealing with trade mark classification on the Patents Office website.
IV. Trademark manual search file establishment and upkeep
File Building
IE Patents Office does not maintain a manual search file. The results of the electronic search are associated with electronic case file.
V. Activities in the field of computerized trademark search systems
In-house systems (online/offline)
Searching trademarks is carried out using Acsepto®, v7 system. Both word and figurative elements are searched using this system. The statutory search undertaken covers national marks, Community Trade Marks and International trademarks designating Ireland under the Madrid Protocol. Commercial search services are also offered covering these marks.
External databases
Community trade mark and International trade mark information is downloaded using the OHIM XML data and MECA XML files which are then imported to the Acsepto® search system.
Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)
Some management information reports and statistical reports are produced using the Cognos Impromptu reporting tool and also directly from the Office’s administration system.
Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used
Patents Office staff access the search system via their networked PCs.
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)
Planning, administration, automation, security
The Office has an Information Centre in Kilkenny. This provides general information concerning intellectual property rights to the public as well as dealing with specific queries such as the provision of certified copies of documents, etc. Workstations are available for the public giving access to the Trade Mark Register and the Public Search facility. The Office website is linked into the OHIM and WIPO search facility offering the possibility of accessing CTM and International trade mark information.
The Office's website also provides an online payment system which facilitates the payment of patent, trade mark and design renewal fees, patent grant fees and trade mark registration fees by credit and debit cards.
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)
The following services are available online:
a) View and search the Trade Mark register and databases
b) Pay your trade mark registration and renewal fees online
c) View the decisions of the Controller in trade mark inter-parte cases
d) Search and view the Patents Office Journal
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.
http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/trademark.aspx
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.patentsoffice.ie/en/trademark.aspx
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
The Irish Patents Office journal is available via the Office's website. There is no on-going programme of mutual exchange of trade mark documentation but any documentation is made available on request.
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.)
During 2011, the Office sought to increase cooperation with The Enterprise Europe Network, Enterprise Ireland and the County Enterprise Boards through delivering a further series of one-day regional seminars, aimed at the ‘small business’ community, entrepreneurs and inventors, on the theme of ‘Building a Business on Your Ideas’. The seminars focused on making business more aware of IP, of the possibilities to exploit the value of the IP inherent in most businesses and the support structures that are available for small businesses and start-ups from the State and Europe. Seven of these seminars took place in 2011 in Cork, Galway, Dundalk, Kilkenny, Dublin, Waterford and Sligo in conjunction with the Institutes of Technology. Over 600 people in total attended, with a number of seminars fully booked or at capacity.
In line with its strategic objective to increase awareness of IP among the public, the Office continued with its outreach efforts directed particularly at the small business start-up sector and students. Altogether, the Office participated in some 16 events speaking on IP at start your own business courses and at business advice and enterprise exhibitions and shows.
The Patents Office held 27 IP clinics in 2011. The clinics give an opportunity to members of the public, inventors, entrepreneurs and business people to discuss with Patents Office staff on a one to one basis, their ideas and matters concerning IP (patent, trade mark or design) applications they intend to make or have already made to the Office. This approach can be particularly helpful in providing basic guidance on procedures and forms required for the registration of IP rights, the process of obtaining IP protection in Ireland or abroad and the timeframes involved. Assistance in constructing a do-it-yourself search strategy for patents, trademarks or registered designs and accessing and using online patent, trade mark and design data-bases was also provided.
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
All current legislation concerning Trade Marks can be found on the Office's website at the following address: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/legislation.aspx
contain the Annual Report of the Office
The 2011 Annual Report is available in pdf format at the following address:
http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/publications_report.aspx
contain trademark-related news regarding the Office
Trade Mark related news regarding the Office may be found in the "What's New" section of the homepage at the following address: http://www.patentsoffice.ie/en/homepage.aspx
X. Other relevant matters
The Office has successfully progressed one of its strategic objectives of using technology in order to facilitate e-business activities and the dissemination of intellectual property information via its website.
The website facilitates the perusal of Irish patent, trade mark and design registers on-line and free of charge. In addition, a computerised search facility facilitates the inspection of details of Irish pending and registered trademarks. The Office's website also permits free access to the OHIM and WIPO databases. On-line access to the Office's Official Journal is also provided free of charge, is searchable and allows for flexible viewing of trade marks in colour.
The Office's website also provides an online payment system which facilitates the payment of patent, trade mark and design renewal fees, patent grant fees and trade mark registration fees by credit and debit cards and continues to be used by more and more of our customers. 89% of the Office’s statutory fees are now paid electronically compared to 64% in 2010.
Since 2010, the Office has pursued an e-communications programme which has the aim of improving service delivery and more efficient processing. The project initially facilitated the issuing of thousands of renewal reminders and overdue reminders electronically by Email instead of by post and was further expanded to include other correspondence in 2010 and 2011. Some 12,000 items of correspondence are now issued by Email each month. The objective is to combine electronic filing, electronic file processing and electronic communications in a way that will facilitate the introduction of paperless processing in the Office in the next few years.
In 2011 the Office introduced an electronic drop box which facilitates the submission of encrypted patent, trade mark and design applications and associated documents electronically and securely via the Internet. The drop box facility is not for single or one off applications but rather is for use by persons or firms which make or intend to make a number of applications for intellectual property rights in the course of a year. At the end of 2011, 10 firms were availing of the electronic drop box facility.