SCIT.ATR.PI.2008.MD

Annual Technical Report 2008 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Republic of Moldova (SCIT/ATR/PI/2008/MD)

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

Filing of patent applications - 292 patent applications, with 61 (17.5%) less than in 2007, have been filed with the AGEPI in 2008, but approximately at the level of the year 2006. Of these, 276 (94.5%) applications have been filed under the national procedure and 16 (5.5%) – under the PCT.
Filing of utility model applications – As a result of entry into force of the new Law on the Protection of Inventions, the filing of applications for the registration of utility models was completed in the year 2008. Thus, 23 such applications were filed with the AGEPI (37 in 2007): 18 (78%) from national applicants (2 converted from patent applications) and 5 (22%) – from foreign applicants, 14 (61%) of their total number being filed by natural persons.

As with regards to the origin of filed patent applications, the state of affairs of the previous years has been kept: the absolute majority thereof – 272 (93.2%) proceed from national applicants, of them more active being those from the cities Chisinau and Balti and from the town Ialoveni (88.2; 3.3 and 2.6% of applications, respectively), and 16 (5.9%) applications were filed altogether from other 13 districts and towns of the country. Of the total number of national inventors who have initiated the patenting procedure in 2008, 92% are from the city Chisinau. It should be mentioned that 98% of the short-term patent applications were also filed by the national applicants. 20 (6.8%) applications were filed by the foreign applicants, the majority (16) being filed under the PCT, the number of applications filed by them directly with the AGEPI remaining further on reduced. The situation is explained by the fact that the inventors from abroad prefer to protect their inventions on the territory of the Republic of Moldova under the Eurasian Patent Convention, to which the Republic of Moldova is party.

In the year under review, the national applicants filed, via AGEPI as receiving office, except for applications for the protection of inventions on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, 7 applications for patenting abroad, of which 3 under the PCT and 4 under the regional procedure, namely under the Eurasian Convention. In the previous year these figures constituted 18, 5 and 13, correspondingly

The research-development institutions, including those of higher education, have kept their position of leaders, from the patenting point of view; generally they filed 166 applications (59.5%), with a decrease by 28 (8%) applications compared with the year 2007.
Most of the patent applications as in the previous years refer to the following fields of the IPC:
A (Human necessities) – 128 (43.4%);
C (Chemistry; Metallurgy) – 52 (17.6%);
F (Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating; etc.) – 35 (11.9%).

The distribution of applications for the registration of utility models according to the IPC sections differs from patent applications: the first two places are kept by the section E (Fixed Constructions) and section A (Human necessities), and the rest of applications is
equally distributed among sections B, C, F and G.
Granting (issuing) of patents – In 2008, AGEPI issued 250 patents for invention – with 18 (6.7%) less than in the previous year.
The absolute majority of issued patents – 247 (98.8%) belong to the national applicants, including 72 (29.1%) – to the natural persons and 175 (70.9%) – to the legal persons. The number of patents issued at so-called„examination under the responsibility of the applicants” (with limited examination of novelty - covering patent collections of MD, SU and EA documents) continued to grow, constituting 211 (84.4%), compared with that of patents issued with the substantive examination – 39 (15.6%). In 2007 this ratio constituted, respectively, 80.2:19.8%.

Granting utility model certificates – 24 (18 in 2007, increase of 33%).

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

Following the entry into force, on October 4, 2008, of the Law Nr. 50-XVI of 07.03.2008 on the Protection of Inventions, there were received 45 short-term patent applications, 13 of which being converted from patent applications.
The absolute majority of short-term patent applications (74%) refer to section A (Human
Necessities), especially to the medical treatment methods.

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to patents

http://www.agepi.md/en/statistica/inventii.php
http://www.agepi.md/en/statistica/mu.php

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.)

1) Paper
Patent applications:
The front page containing bibliographic data, the abstract and the drawings are printed. The added specifications are reproduced.
Patents:
The front page and the specification are printed, the incorporated drawings being scanned.
2) CD-ROM
- CD-ROM „Inventions of the Republic of Moldova 1963-1992” containing bibliographic data for patent applications and patents
- CD-ROM „Inventions of the Republic of Moldova, 1993-2008”, containing bibliographic data and abstracts in 3 languages (Romanian, English and Russian) for patent applications; bibliographic data, abstracts and specifications for patents. This CD-ROM is renewed annually by adding the data for the last year.
- CISPATENT – in conjunction with the IP Offices of several CIS countries (AM, BY,GE, RU, TJ, UZ, UA) and of the EAPO is issued this CD-ROM containing bibliographic data and abstracts in Romanian, English and Russian for patent applications and bibliographic data, abstracts in 3 languages and specifications in the original language for patents. The CD-ROM is issued on a monthly basis; there is also a yearly issue.
3) Official Bulletin on Industrial Property (BOPI)
Bibliographic data and abstracts in Romanian, English, Russian and official notices are published in this official monthly newspaper. The Bulletin appears on paper form and on the AGEPI website in PDF format: http://www.agepi.md/en/cid_pi/periodice/bopi.php
BOPI is also published and distributed on CD-ROM, on a monthly basis.
4) On-line database
Bibliographic data and abstracts relating to MD patent applications and granted patents are available through the database “Inventions” on the office website: http://db.agepi.md/InventiiEng/Baza.aspx?Lang2=engt
It is a free Internet service. For patents is also published the specifications and drawings.

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

Announcements, notices and changes in the legal status or the patenting procedure are published in the Official Bulletin on Industrial Property (BOPI).
The most important office notices regarding patents and other IP rights are put directly on the AGEPI website (www.agepi.md) for different kinds of users (applicants/owners, patent agents etc).

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

The AGEPI has at its disposal a complete classified paper collection of MD patent documents. The full data relating to MD patent documents, excepting the drawings for non-published patent applications, are stored in the internal databases.
The AGEPI has a CD/DVD-ROM collection containing published/granted US, FR, DE, CH, RU, WO, EP patent documents.
See also “Publishing, printing, copying etc.”, item II, p.2).

Word processing and office automation

The Patent Office uses Microsoft Office XP or 2003 which provides an integrated and extensive network of applications that are available to all staff. All staff has their own personal workstation on which numerous applications are available. Word processing can be carried out using Microsoft 2003; search tools including access to online databases, translation software, management and administration information etc. There is also a corporate database (Inventions) and automated production of search and examination reports.
All staff has access to the Internet and has their own e-mail and official e-mail address.

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

Abstracting, reviewing, translating

The office is responsible for translating the titles and abstracts into English and review the titles and abstracts provided by the applicant (in Romanian and Russian) and, if necessary, amend them accordingly to WIPO standard ST.12/A in order to ensure that the abstract contain the necessary information to be a useful search tool. The abstracts and titles are published in Official Bulletin for patents and utility models applications and granted protection titles in 3 languages.

Classification¹, preclassification² (if applicable), and reclassification³ activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC), other classification (please indicate whether or not patent documents are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)

From January 1, 2006 AGEPI use the advanced level of the IPC (8th edition).

Bibliographic data and full-text processing

The AGEPI maintains an electronic search file for all MD patent documents, which are searchable using bibliographic data, classification symbols and the keyword contained in titles and abstracts for all types of tittles of invention protection: patents, short-term patents and utility models.
In the year 2008, some new searchable fields such as “Cited prior art” and “Patent attorney were introduced, including the field “Current legal state”.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

File building

File building of paper search files classified under the IPC and of the CD/DVD-ROM collections classified under years and countries are centralized at the office library. The patent documents and author certificates of the former URSS from 1924 up to 1992 are stored within National Technical Scientific Library (NTSL).
All MD patent documents are electronically stored and searchable for internal use; all published MD patent applications and patents are electronically searchable for external use.

Updating

Paper and some CD/DVD-ROM search files are updated monthly, several CD-DVD/ROM search files are updated yearly. Electronically searchable files for internal use are updated permanently depending of filings; electronically searchable files for external use are updated monthly.

Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file

Patent collections from other offices are available by online search techniques; there is an electronic access to 39 databases in the field of patents.

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

In-house systems (online/offline)

The management of the patent applications is based on the “Patents” search database developed by the AGEPI IT department. This database is used in conducting the examining procedure, the publication and dissemination of information.
The AGEPI “Inventions” database, which is an opened to the public search database, can be used by examiners and other interested persons for electronic search through the MD published patent applications and granted patents. See also “Publishing, printing, copying etc.”, item II, p.4).

External databases

- VINITI (NPL - bibliographic data), administered by the VINITI Institute of the Russian Federation (www.viniti.ru);
- eapatis, administered by EAPO
- esp@cenet
- and other specialized chemical, biotech, electrical and other databases.

See also “Documentation from other office maintained and/or considered part of the available search file”.

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

The Register and legal status information are available through both internal database and the public database. The system also provides statistical information and management reports. There were modernized the database “Inventions”, elaborated and published the annual CDs “Inventions patented in the Republic of Moldova 1993-2008”.

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

The Electronic Information System of AGEPI:
HARDWARE
- 7 servers in a Active Directory Domain
-26 Pentium III and IV, 128-512 RAM, 40-80 Gb HDD
-1 network printer;
-2 scanners;
-INTERNET/INTRANET Subsystem. Using 512 Kb/s ADSL line. The INTERNET/INTRANET Subsystem comprises a mail-server, a database server, a fire-wall and FTP service. Computer Network: 100 MB Server Network 1Gb

SOFTWARE
-Microsoft Windows 2003 operating system for Intel/Xeon servers;
-Linux operating system for the Server of the INTERNET/INTRANET database;
-Data base server Interbase V.7.5
-Windows XP Professional for client PCs;
-Microsoft Office for client PCs;
- Microsoft Internet Explorer for INTERNET/INTRANET;
-Software specific to the CD-ROM collections namely Mimosa, Eapatis, etc.
Administration of the Patent Collection and of the Services Rendered to the Public (for applications, assistance on search, ways and means of getting the official publications and of gaining access to records/statistics).

Existing online thesauri; their structure, presentation and usefulness for computerized searches

The internal network uses a client-server arrangement on an Ethernet LAN running Microsoft Active Directory Domain. The platform used by the Patents Department uses a database server, for Interbase applications. Client PCs are used by all staff and are Pentium III or Pentium IV machines with 17 CRT or 15 LCD screens. Client PCs operating systems Microsoft Windows XP. Mimosa and Diapat are software specific of the CD-ROM collections.

VI. Administration of the industrial property office library, and information products 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)

The Intellectual Property Information Retrieval Center (IP IRC) was created from January 1st, 2008, on the basis of the AGEPI Library, which took over its fund and information functions.
The IP IRC functions simultaneously as an in-house and public library and is open to the public during 5 days (except Saturday and Sunday) from 9:00 to 16:00. All the received documents are registered, classified and grouped for storage purpose.

Collection management, preservation

The main information sources of the IP IRC collection are the official publications of the AGEPI, Official gazettes and literature (normative, methodical, reference books, dictionaries), periodicals.

On December 31, 2008, the information collection of the IP IRC counted 25796782 document copies, including: books and booklets - 5118 copies; serial and periodical publications (journals, newspapers, official bulletins) - 40541 copies; documents on electronic carrier - 25742839 copies; national documents - 8284 copies.

Due to the new acquisitions, the electronic catalogue of the IP IRC database was completed with the bibliographic descriptions of 1085 titles (DB "BOOKS" - with 765 registrations and DB "IP ART" - with 320 articles from the periodical editions and collections of scientific materials)

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)

The AGEPI IP IRC has a general reading room and a specialized PC room. The total area constitutes 125 sq. m.
In the year 2008, by the Center's services benefited 1263 persons, of which 271 new users. Almost 28 thousands of documents were borrowed to readers. At the same time, the beneficiaries were provided 552 free consultations on use of electronic databases, search in the document array of the Center, application of the IPC Classification in the documentary search process etc.

In advertisement of users, it was monthly presented on the AGEPI web site www.agepi.md - the information on the DB Internet addresses in the field of IP, and the information on the new acquisitions in the IP IRC collection.

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

In 2008, the main ways of completing IP IRC collection, remained the same –the bilateral exchange with homologous offices from abroad, subscription to the specialized periodicals, acquisition of the literature by means of libraries, publishing houses, book fairs, donations etc.

The AGEPI Library cooperates intensively with 56 territorial Libraries and 37 foreign libraries of Patent Offices abroad to which the IP information (official gazette) and other literature in this field is furnished regularly for further dissemination information in field of IP in the territory.AGEPI provides monthly bibliographic data and abstracts on published patent applications and granted patents to EPO (EPIDOS). AGEPI furnished the MD patent documents and the official gazette (BOPI) on CD-ROM to 41 IP Offices. AGEPI receives patent documentation and information from 35 countries and 2 regional patent organizations (EPO and EAPO).

VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)

During the year 2008, the AGEPI staff participated in 58 international events such as trainings, meetings, seminars, symposia, consultations, official visits etc., among which the most relevant to patent activities are the following:

- The 12th Session of the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP), organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO);
- Patent Information Conference, organized by the European Patent Organization (EPO) and Sweden Patent Office;
- The 57th session of the Administrative and Legal Committee, the 75th session of the Consultative Committee of UPOV, the 25th extraordinary session of the Council of UPOV, the 44th session of the Technical Committee, and the meeting on electronic application systems, organized by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV);
- 1st Session of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Working Group, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ;
- International Symposium on Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge, organized by the State Patent Service of the Kyrgyz Republic in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (OMPI);

Speaking about bilateral cooperation, in the year under review, continued the development of the collaboration with the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (OSIM), 2 specialists of the AGEPI participating in the exchange of experience mission within the Inventions Department of the OSIM.

In the year 2008, AGEPI also promoted and stimulated the innovational activity of the Republic of Moldova, by providing for the participation of the national inventors with circa 156 works in 7 international and 21 national exhibitions, namely:
1. International Salon of Inventions, Technologies and New Products in Geneva, Switzerland;
2. International Salon of Research, Innovation and Inventiveness "Proinvent", Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
3. International Salon of Inventions, Research and Technology Transfer "INVENTICA" , Iaşi, Romania;
4. International Salon of Inventions and New Technologies "Novoe vremea", Sevastopol, Ukraine;
5. International Salon of Inventions, Scientific Research and New Technologies "INVENTIKA-2008", Bucharest, Romania.
6. International salon of Innovation, research and New Technologies "Brussels-Innova", Belgium.

IX. Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:

URLs of Web page of the Office Website:
● information on legislation related to patents http://www.agepi.md/en/acte/index.php
● Annual Report of the Office http://www.agepi.md/en/despre/raport/index.php
● all news regarding the Office

X. Other relevant matters