Support to innovators for the protection of intellectual property rights

The new service of the Intellectual Property Office, e-Patent, enables the submission of watermarks, patents and industrial design electronically. At the moment, certificates of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, Post of Serbia, Halcom and Ministry of Internal Affairs are supported.

The procedure of getting a patent certified begins with submitting an application to the Intellectual Property Office. Until now, submissions had to be made personally, which made it difficult for innovators from outside Belgrade to apply for patents. The new service also supports the submission of accompanying documents, explains Dr Danica Micanovic, coordinator from CCIS.

Applicants may be natural persons, representatives, lawyers and authorized representatives of legal entities. A qualified electronic certificate issued by a registered certification authority in Serbia is necessary for an electronic signature.

The access to the system of electronic submission of patents is free, and users only need to register. No special training is needed, only basic computer literacy. The program is technically protected in line with the latest standards. Transfer of data between the computer and the server is protected by an SSL protocol, CCIS writes.

The program can be used without an electronic signature for entering data as well. The system facilitates the forming of applications, the automatic calculation of administrative taxes and electronic payment. Electronic submissions facilitate the classification of goods and services in watermark applications. The program is integrated into the WIPO Goods and Services Manager service, which contains a list of keywords in Serbian, sorted in line with the international classification of goods and services (Nice Classification).

Intellectual property can be sold, assigned, rented and used as any other type of property. Copyrighting intellectual property, then, provides innovators with an opportunity for additional financial gain. In addition to that, regulated intellectual property rights make for stable business activities and a healthy environment for investments, which increases the value of an individual’s or a company’s intellectual capital. CCIS is working on increasing awareness of the significance of intellectual property rights and the integration of intellectual capital in companies’ financial strategies.

Zavod za intelektualnu svojinu Republike Srbije

JP Pošta Srbije Beograd

Halcom a.d. Beograd

Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova Republike Srbije

ePatent

Chamber of Commerce of Serbia

Halcom

Ministry of Internal Affairs

Danica Micanovic

WIPO Goods and Services Manager

electronic certificate