1. What kind of information is provided by the patent libraries?

• Patent literature – complete descriptions or title sheets of both national and foreign granted patents, published patent applications, registered utility models and industrial designs
• Other accompanying literature – patent and trademark bulletins, classification manuals
• Patent and trademark searches
  
  
  • o legal status searches
  • o patent family searches
  • o name searches
  • o state of the art and novelty searches
  • o trademark searches
  • o search for appearance of the product

2. How to get the search?

The search is possible to order by mail, by fax, telephone and e-mail. The forms are available at the Office website (www.upv.cz). Informative searches for trademarks can be provided for charge in the Office public reading room.

3. Is it possible to find at the Internet whether the certain designation is protected as a trademark?

The users can use the database of national trademarks which is available at the Internet free of charge. There is also the database of international trademarks valid in the Czech Republic (trial run) at the Office website.

4. What includes the database of national trademarks and how often is it updated?

The database includes only trademarks and trademark applications which were applied and registered at the Industrial Property Office. This database is free of charge and it is updated daily. Bibliographic data of applications including the list of products and services are supplied to the database within the date of filing. The figures of figurative trademarks are available within three days.

5. What includes the database of international trademarks valid in the Czech Republic and how often is it updated?

The database includes international trademarks registered according to Madrid Agreement or Madrid Protocol and valid at the Czech territory.
Database is updated always after the data supply by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

6. How to get database printout (trademarks, patents, industrial designs, utility designs)?

• Informative search in the database at the Internet
• Printout of the registry – printout of the registry of patents, industrial and utility designs is possible to order by e-mail, phone or in person. The charge for one page is CZK 100.

7. What benefit for a company means the search being carried out?

Trademark search is important for the process of trademark to be registered when it is necessary to verify whether the registering or similar designation is or is not already registered for identical or similar products or services for other owner. The analysis of results can help to indicate the most powerful companies and potential competitors or it can be used for market mapping.

8. How to carry out the search in trademark database on our website?

You can carry out the search for arbitrary designation or the search for owner or applicant of trademark yourself. You can use the national and international trademark databases on the Office’s website (www.upv.cz).

How to do that:

• Click on "Information sources" button at the top menu
• Click on "On-line databases" button at the left menu
• Click on "Trademark databases" button at the left menu
• Click on "National trademark database" or "Database of international trademarks valid in the Czech Republic" button
• Put the words ("wording of a trademark") or trademark applicant’s/owner’s name or register number, respectively classification number into blank
• Click on "Confirm" button – the system will provide basic information about trademark
• Click on "Application number" of the trademark
• The system will provide the printout of the database of registered trademark (valid on the Czech territory) or trademark to be registered with all details. It is possible to print this printout.

International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of Registration of Marks is available at the address http://www.upv.cz. For using the classification you need to click on "Industrial rights" button at the left-hand side menu, then click on "Trademark" button and "Classification systems" at the left-hand side menu as well. You can also order a charged search - you need to specify the designation or name, optionally the address of trademark owner/applicant - at the Office’s address: Industrial Property Office, Information Services Department, Antonina Cermaka 2a, 160 68 Prague 6 – Bubenec.

9. Trademark renewal

The term of protection of a registered trademark is ten years from the date of application filing with the Office. On request of the trademark owner filed within the last year of the term of protection (administrative fee CZK 3000), but at the latest six months since its expiration date (administrative fee CZK 6000) the duration of protection can be renewed for another ten years (§ 29 of the Act No. 441/2003 Coll., on Trademarks).

The trademark application form as well as other types of forms concerning trademarks is available at the address http://www.upv.cz. Click on "Industrial rights" button, then on "Trademarks" button at the left-hand side menu and on "National trademark". Now you can print out the trademark application form, form of demand for trademark transfer or trademark renewal, respectively use the links to other information portals.

10. Where is possible to find the trademark application form?

The application of a trademark registration is to be filed either personally or by post with the Industrial Property Office on the form which includes the details how to fill in this form and how to pay the administrative fee. The form and further information is possible to obtain at the information desk for trademarks at the address: Antonina Cermaka 2a, 160 68 Prague 6 – Bubenec, phone: +420 220 383 120.
Monday + Wednesday 8.00 – 12.00 13.00 – 17.00
Tuesday + Thursday 8.00 – 12.00 13.00 – 16.00
Friday 8.00 – 12.00 13.00 – 14.30

The trademark application form as well as other types of forms concerning trademarks is available at the address http://www.upv.cz. The form of demand for trademark transfer or trademark renewal can be printed out.

International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of Registration of Marks is available at the website of the Office (in Czech) and at the website of WIPO (in English).
Administrative fee for filing the application is CZK 4000 for the range of three classes of goods and services, for each next class is additional fee amounting to CZK 500. Administrative fee for filing a request for renewal is CZK 3000. Request for application for international registration of the trademark can be filed at the same time as the national application or after the registration is made. You should use a special type of form which is available in the same way as the form for national application. Administrative fee is CZK 2500.
As the method of payment is concerned, it can be made by a money transfer to the account of the Industrial Property Office (account no. 3711-21526001/0710, Czech National Bank in Prague, constant symbol 1148), by sending a postal order or cash at the cash desk of the Office.

11. How to make an evaluation of the industrial property rights?

An evaluation of the industrial property rights (patents for inventions, utility models and industrial designs, trademarks) exceeds the authority of the Industrial Property Office.
This can be carried on by the authorized experts only. The register of the experts administrates every court of justice, information are also available on the internet website of the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic www.justice.cz under the heading "Register of Forensic Experts, Translators and Forensic Expert Institutions". There is possible to search for a particular expert (name of the field "Patents and inventions") from the required geographical area of the Czech Republic on this website.