SKIS offers and provides appropriate professional support and assistance in protecting intellectual property from the time when the idea arises to the time of filing a patent application or the production of a model.
Industrial property
Economic growth and consequently the competitiveness of each company are based on knowledge and creativity. Creativity is a consequence of useful suggestions of all employees and results in different innovations and inventions provided by creative experts developing new products and technologies. We can protect these inventions and new technologies with industrial property rights. Protecting intellectual property is important both for growth and competitiveness of large, as well as small and medium enterprises. Industrial property is inherent to the development, research and innovation activity, since only effective protection can guarantee equal use of its benefits. Under the concept of industrial property there are patents, utility models, designs and service brands. The rights thus refer to all categories of industrial property.
Patents
A patent is a legally protected and an exclusive right of exploitation of an invention, granted by the state to the holder of a patent for a limited period of time, usually for the term of 20 years. An invention or technical solution is considered new, if it has not been available to the public by oral or written description, by use or in any other way before the date of filing the patent application. All patent systems require novelty as am essential prerequisite for the protection of an invention patent. To this end, the most important rule when applying for a patent is to obtain a grant application before any other action that would enable public access to information about the invention is carried out. That means prior to exhibiting the invention/product on fairs, writing articles about it or advertising the product in general.
Slovenian applications may be submitted individually or through a representative. An important source of information on patents is the IPR-Helpdesk of the European Commission, which is free and aims to promote creativity and innovation in Europe.
Models
Model is an exclusive right of a person or a company used to protect a new design of a product. The design of the product is the overall or partial appearance, marked by its characteristics, especially lines, colors, textures and materials of the product or the ornaments on the product. Registration of the product enables the protection of the material interests with an exclusive right of use and prevents third parties to use the product without prior consent of the holder. The term using a product includes mainly manufacturing, offering on the market, importing, exporting and using or storing the product.
Regulations, rules, precise filling instructions, forms, Euro custom classification, fee rates and the list of agents can be found on the web page of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM). The ones wishing to apply for a model of the Community can do so by applying to OHIM or to the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). The applicants have to be Slovenian citizens or companies registered in the Republic of Slovenia and need to carry out the application process in one of the languages of the European Community (also Slovenian language). The process of registration depends on the language preferences of the applicant, thus it can be carried out in English, French, Italian, Spanish or German. The duration period of a Model is one or more periods of five years, from the date of entry, but not more than a period of 25 years. With regular payment of appropriate fees, the Model can be updated every five years.
Trademarks and service brands
Trademarks and service brands identify products of traders/companies and the marks themselves. A Mark can be any sign or combination of signs that can be graphically designed and provides the differentiation between the goods and services of different companies. Marks/Brands are most often words, including personal names, letters, numbers, figurative elements, tridimensional images, including the form of the goods and its packaging and the combination of colors or even a combination of all the previously mentioned elements.
Brand registration is the only assurance to maintain an exclusive right to use a certain mark/brand for marking your products/services and to prevent similar usage of such mark/brand by other subjects. After a brand is registered, you are safe from any speculations of your competitors and can definitely avoid further losses when marketing your products/services. Because different subjects offering products/services are entering the national and foreign markets on daily basis, it is of extreme importance to obtain national registration before applying for a foreign safety guarantee. A product/service protection has to be guaranteed firstly in Slovenia and only then directed towards other countries.
Application for registration of a mark/brand has to be filled out at the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). The registration process can be carried out personally at the SIPO offices or by postal services and fax. SIPO offers basic information about application preparation and the overall procedures. Moreover, it also has a computer base on all registered marks.
SKIS activities
SKIS offers its members complete help with protecting patents and models. It carries out various projects.
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"Nozzle for controlled and targeted empty of spray cans with liquid or gaseous substance"
New patent - dr. Boštjan Berginc
The invention described is the nozzle for controlled and targeted empty of spray cans with liquid or gaseous substance. Such innovation solves the problem of controlled leakage of the liquid or gaseous substance. In general, the leakage of the substance can be repeated until the spray can is empty. The technical problem described was solved with a nozzle that enabled the user to focus more on the field of his work and not on the right use of the spray can.
The author and the owner of the patent are Dr. Boštjan Berginc and company director, Darko Alojz Berginc.
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Patents on the field of sustainable technologies
- "The procedure for electro energetic system protection"
Sometimes, electro energetic system loads experiencing high voltage can lead to local or even greater network failures. Such failure causes enormous costs not only for maintenance groups but also clients depending on the electric system.
The new procedure offers the possibility to prevent further network failures by managing local data on voltages and currents. The procedure is different from generally accepted solutions, which are based on the idea of central management of power flow in the network.
- "The procedure for electro energetic system protection"