Approximation of EU and Russian Federation Intellectual Property Right aspects

General information
The EU- Russia project “Approximation of EU and Russian Federation Intellectual Property Right aspects” was launched in September 2009 and is implemented by the European Patent Office.
The main objective of the project, which will run in the next 12 months, is to examine the current Russian patent legislation and make recommendations on how to converge it with the European legislation as well as to develop patent guidelines that can be used by patent examiners at Rospatent. The project will also seek to streamline Russia’s patent application, registration and processing procedure to approximate them to the EU approach and facilitate the teaching of Intellectual Property economics in Russia. Moreover, the experts of the project will address the Russian system of granting supplementary protection for pharmaceuticals in the light of the current European administrative and judicial practice. This project is implemented under the Common Spaces Facility which is intended to facilitate dialogue in the framework of the four EU- Russian Common Spaces.

The project is designed to be of immediate and direct benefit to Rospatent, FIPS and RGIIS staff and of indirect benefit to patent applicants/ technology based companies and attorneys, and RGIIS students. In the longer term the project will be of benefit to Russian and European users of the patent system in Russia, and patent based commerce and trade within Russia and between Russia and Europe.


Mr. Samir Rahman
On & in behalf of
Patent and Law firm ‘IPPro’

International exchange

The international exchange of the patent documentation which are carried out with patent departments of foreign countries and foreign information centers, within decades is one of sources of formation GPF. The exchange of official publications in the late fifties began the last century and throughout these decades qualitatively varied with development of a new information technology.

The exchange of the patent documentation is carried out taking into account such requirements, as: performance of the international obligations of Rospatent as international search body, and also the obligations following from the Contract on patent cooperation (РСТ); a supply with information of the state scientific and technical examination, according to "Position about the state patent fund", the confirmed order of Rospatent from 12/30/2005 № 156; maintenance of information requirements of broad specialists at carrying out of patent researches.
Now the international exchange passes to the modern, higher, qualitative stage of development connected with prompt development of electronic databases and search possibilities, refusal of an exchange of the documentation on firm carriers (paper, disks) both transition to reception and an unloading of the data directly from sites of departments and search systems or a different way of data transmission without firm carriers.
So since 2010 the European patent department has made decision to stop the edition of disks of series ESPACE WORLD containing complete descriptions of international demands РСТ, and also of some other series of disks. An unloading of patent documents from site ЕPO in 2010 it is planned to carry out in the automated patent-information system of Rospatent with use Open Patent Services (OPS).
The exchange of the patent documentation for the firm carrier proceeds also. As of January, 1st, 2010 the international exchange is carried out with patent departments of 57 countries and 6 international organizations. FGU FIPS, from its part, carrying out of the international obligations, also dispatches official publications on disks in foreign patent departments.
The patent documentation of foreign countries which is presented only on sites of patent departments of these countries and is accessible to free viewing and an unloading of the data, is unloaded for acquisition GPF directly from sites of departments. The decision on an unloading of the data is accepted separately on each concrete country.

Workshop Focuses on Improving Web Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities

Geneva, February 5, 2010
PR/2010/631
A workshop hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from February 2 to 5, 2010, brought together over 180 persons from some 32 organizations to promote awareness about accessibility for people with disabilities and to encourage webmasters within the United Nations system and other organizations to implement principles of accessibility in their daily work.
The workshop, co-organized with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), was opened by WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, who underlined the importance of accessibility in general and reaffirmed WIPO’s commitment to establishing an accessible web environment that promotes easy access to intellectual property information.

This, Mr. Gurry said, is in line with WIPO’s visually impaired persons (VIP) initiative launched in 2008 to explore ways to facilitate and enhance access to literary, artistic and scientific works for the VIP community. The initiative’s website – www.visionip.org – is dedicated to disseminating information and exchanging views on this subject to all interested parties. Mr. Gurry noted that only 5% of all published works are currently available in formats accessible to the VIP community. He said WIPO and its member states are actively seeking to improve this situation.

WIPO member states have acknowledged the special needs of the blind, visually impaired and other print-disabled persons. The Organization’s key copyright committee, the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), is currently considering a draft treaty that would create an enabling legal environment to address exceptions and limitations to international copyright law . Also, a stakeholders’ platform hosted by WIPO brings together representatives of organizations representing the blind and visually impaired community and publishers to facilitate import-export of published works in a trusted and secure environment.

Noting that an estimated 650 million people live with disabilities worldwide, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré underlined the need to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the opportunities offered by information and communication technologies (ICT). “The key to the information society is universal access and no one should be denied the potential benefits of ICTs, not least because they are hampered by their disabilities,” Dr Touré said. “ICTs have the great merit of serving as a powerful equalizer of abilities, empowering persons with disabilities to fulfil their potential, realize their own dreams and ambitions, and take their place as active members of society.” ITU focuses on a series of strategic issues ranging from the rights of the disabled, to making technical design standards accessible, to providing education and training on accessible ICTs.

Speaking at the opening session, Mr. Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITU’s standardization bureau highlighted the potential of ICTs in improving accessibility to persons with disabilities and noted that ITU has been “embracing the challenges of accessibility through standardization efforts and has long championed the principles of inclusion and Universal Design enshrined in the UN Convention.”

A first web accessibility workshop was hosted by WIPO in May 2009 following a request from the VIP community for WIPO to share its experience in implementing principles of accessibility. These workshops are in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities which entered into force on May 3, 2008. Article 9 (g) and (h) of this Convention require that measures be taken to ensure that accessibility is taken into account in the design of new information technologies and systems.

This week’s workshop brought together experts from the World Wide Web consortium, Mobile web initiative, Yahoo!, Adobe Systems Incorporated and the Royal National Institute for Blind People. The workshop also featured a full day of training sponsored by Adobe.

Participants agreed on the need for an annual workshop to keep abreast of technological developments and to share knowledge and experience of the issue within the UN system.
In and on behalf of
Samir Rahman (IPProlaw)

International Patent Filings Dip in 2009 amid Global Economic Downturn

Geneva, February 8, 2010
PR/2010/632
International patent filings under WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) fell by 4.5% in 2009 with sharper than average declines experienced by some industrialized countries and growth in a number of East Asian countries. Provisional data indicates that 155,900 international patent applications were filed in 2009 as compared to the nearly 164,000 applications filed in 2008.
"The decline in PCT filings is not as sharp as originally anticipated – last year's results bring us back to just fewer than 2007 levels, when 159,886 international applications were filed," said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. "Interestingly, the rate of decline in international filings is lower than that experienced in some national contexts. This is an indication of a broad recognition that it makes good business sense, whatever the economic conditions, to continue to protect commercially valuable technologies internationally."
International patent filings in a number of East Asian countries continued to enjoy positive growth in spite of the challenging global economic conditions. Japan, the second largest user of the PCT, experienced a 3.6% rate of growth with 29,827 applications; the Republic of Korea (ROK), ranked fourth largest user of the system, experienced 2.1% growth with 8,066 applications; and China became the fifth largest PCT user with a strong growth rate of 29.7%, representing some 7,946 international applications.
International patent filings experienced a sharper than average decline in a number of industrialized countries. For example, the filing rate dropped by 11.4% in the USA and by 11.2% in Germany in 2009. Declines were also experienced in the United Kingdom (-3.5%), Switzerland (-1.6%), Sweden (-11.3%), Italy (-5.8%), Canada (-11.7%), Finland (-2.2%), Australia (-7.5%) and Israel (-17.2%).
The United States of America (USA) maintained its top ranking (annex 2), filing just under a third of all international applications in 2009 (45,790), followed by Japan (+3.6%, 29,827 applications), Germany (-11.2% or 16,736 applications), ROK (+2.1%, 8,066 applications), China (29.7%, 7,946 applications), France (+1.6%, 7166 applications), United Kingdom (-3.5% or 5,320 applications), the Netherlands (+3.0% or 4,471 applications), Switzerland (-1.6% or 3,688 applications) and Sweden (-11.3% or 3,667 applications).
Top Applicants:
Panasonic Corporation (Japan) returned to the top spot in the list of PCT applicants, nudging Hawaii Technologies, Co., Ltd. (China) into second place. Panasonic Corporation had 1,891 PCT applications published in 2009; China's Hawaii Technologies Co. Ltd. had 1,847, followed by Robert Bosch GMBH (Germany, 1586 applications), Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Netherlands, 1,295 applications) and Qualcomm Incorporated (USA, 1280 applications). Four Japanese companies, Panasonic Corporation (ranked 1st), NEC Corporation (ranked 8th), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (ranked 9th) and Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (ranked 10th) featured in the list of top 10 largest filers.
The University of California accounted for the largest number of applications published in the category of educational institutions. Most top-filing universities, however, experienced declines in the number of international patent filings in 2009.
Developing Countries:
The largest number of international applications received from developing countries in 2009 came from the Republic of Korea (8,066) and China (7,946) followed by India (761), Singapore (594), Brazil (480), South Africa (389), Turkey (371), Malaysia, (218), Mexico (185) and Barbados (96).
Developing countries make up over 78% of the membership of the PCT, representing 112 of the 142 countries that have signed up to the treaty and accounted for 14% of the total number of filings (with China and ROK accounting for 10%).
"In implementing the WIPO Development Agenda, WIPO is working very closely with member states to develop and roll-out projects that will enable all countries to reap the benefits of innovation and the knowledge economy" said Mr. Gurry. "In this context, maximizing participation in the PCT is a key priority. Membership of the PCT offers an opportunity for countries to bring their national patenting processes in line with international standards helping to create a more attractive investment environment. It further offers local companies a cost-effective means of obtaining patent protection in multiple countries" he added.
Mr. Samir Rahman
On & in behalf of
Patent and Law firm ‘IPPro’

RosPatent joins the program of PPH (Patent Prosecution Highway)

Dear Colleagues!

In 2009 Rospatent signed bilateral agreements with the Patent departments of Japan and Republic of Korea about a mutual account of results of substantial examination under the same applications for inventions in each of these departments. Since 25th of January 2010 a similar agreement with the Patent department of the US came into enforce.

This year Rospatent joins the program of PPH (Patent Prosecution Highway) and in this connection they shall organize a round table, planned first of all, for developers of new techniques and innovative technologies, which will be held in the Rospatent office (Moscow) on 15th of March 2010.

РРН it is based on the international division of labor between experts of patent departments of the different countries in case of consideration of the same application submitted designating these countries. РРН makes possible to use the results of experts after substantial examination of the country while considering the application by experts of another country, which allows to reduce the consideration- term of the application in each country, and also to lower material inputs of the applicant on patenting of the invention abroad.

TO ALL OUR ASSOCIATES & CLIENTS

It is an important update to be noted for Patent holders/clients who hold the Patents (already granted) in India. Recently, Indian Patent Office has issued a circular to submit the “Statement Regarding Working of Patented Invention on Commercial Scale in India” latest by 31 March 2010. Failure to submit the information leads to the huge penalty of one million rupees (about US$ 21,000.00) prescribed under the Indian Patent Act, 1970. The copy of the circular issued by the Controller General recently (24/12/2009) may be downloaded from the link for your reference: http://www.ipindia.nic.in/iponew/publicNotice_24December2009.pdf

Please be advised or hereby intimated to advice your clients about this situation/development and send us the instructions for filing the above statement by filling form 27. Incase if you / your clients' holds any granted Indian Patents, please reply to this email with a request to send you the necessary format.

In & on behalf of
Leonov Alexandr

Samir Rahman (IPProlaw)

XIII Moscow’s international Salon of inventions and innovative technologies «Archimedes – 2010»

From 30th March till 2nd April 2010, in CEC "Sokolniki", Moscow
From 30th March till 2nd April 2010 in the Cultural-exhibition centre "Sokolniki ", pavilion № 4 will be held the XIII Moscow international Salon of inventions and innovative technologies «Archimedes – 2010».

Organizer of the Salon "Archimedes" is JSC Center of assistance to invention and rationalization development, VOIR.

The most interesting and perspective exhibits in the industrial application will be decided by the experts commission and the international jury, participants will be handed over with a Salon "Archimedes" medals, diplomas and awards from the Ministry of Defense of Russian Federation, RosPatent, Government of Moscow, VOIR, medals and prizes, including 10 monetary prizes from Russian and foreign organizations and departments, salons of inventions, Salon partners.

The higher award of the Salon - Grand prix "Gold" Archimedes »is annually handed over for the complex of presented exhibitors.