Chronicle of the Patent Office in Prague

The Ministry of Interior granted the Office with the Award for Quality in Public Administration.

In the second half of the year 2022 the Czech Republic assumed the presidency of the Council of the EU. The Czech presidency’s activities in the field of industrial property were coordinated by the Industrial Property Office mainly at the Council Working Party on Intellectual Property. We managed to achieve a compromise on the proposal of new legislation (regulation) on the protection of geographical indication for craft and industrial products and to meet the presidency’s objective of approving a general approach at the Competitiveness Council in December 2022.  

The Czech Republic has therefore handed over the approved text to the Swedish presidency; it enables the successful continuation of the regular legislative process, i.e. negotiations with the European Parliament and the subsequent adoption of the regulation by the Council. During the Czech presidency, the revision and modernisation of the EU regulation on industrial designs was also initiated.

The Office obtained certification according to ISO 22301:2019 Security and resilience - Business continuity management systems (BCMS).

The Czech Government approved the IP Strategy: The Approach to Promote Industrial Property Rights 2021-2030, which sets the framework for effective support for the use of the industrial property protection system.

According to the evaluation report of the government's digitization program of the Czech Republic 2018+, the Office ranked at the top among the central bodies of the Czech state administration in the field of management level, in the area of IT, among others.

Covid-19 pandemic – strengthening of electronic agendas and online services of the Office

In the Ambassador of Quality of the Czech Republic competition, the Office ranked third in the public sector category.

The Office launched a pilot operation of a new version of the interface to the industrial rights search databases. The new application introduces new design that can also be used on mobile devices and a number of improvements, including advanced features for registered users.

The Office launched a new version of the eFiling application, which replaced the existing pdf form. The new version brings increased comfort and a number of new features.

From September 2009, new application and request forms for electronic filling in and submission were made available on the Office's website.

On 30 October 2009, the Office activated its data box. Through this mailbox, 41 new registrations and 252 other submissions were received by the end of 2009.

In the first half of the year 2009, the Czech Republic acted for the first time as the presiding state of the Council of the European Union. In the field of industrial property, we mainly focused on discussion about the patent system in Europe, i.e. the Community patent and the unified patent litigation system. After delicate negotiations, the Czech Republic reached a consensus regarding the wording of the request for the opinion of the European Court of Justice concerning the compatibility of the Agreement on unified patent litigation system with the EC Treaty.  The proposal was approved by the Council on 25th June 2009. Thus, the Czech Republic contributed to the consolidation of Member States' positions, which became the basis for further progress in this area.

Method of production of nanofibers (Nanospider) - Technical University of Liberec

Patent document No. 294274, based on application PC 2003-2421 filed on 8 September 2003. A team of scientists at the Technical University of Liberec, led by Oldřich Jirsák, became first in the world to develop the technology and to assemble a machine capable of producing non-woven nanofiber fabrics on an industrial scale.

A test operation of on-line databases was launched on the website of the Office.

A computer classroom was set up in the Office building for the training of staff of the Office and for teaching of the students of the Industrial Property Training Institute in the newly developed program applications. On the Internet, a trademark database was made available in demo operation.

The Office website offered visitors basic information about the activities of the Office, as well as the application forms for inventions, utility and industrial designs and trademarks.

Change of the street name of the Office's headquarters from U hřbitova to Antonín Čermák street.

Antonín Čermák was an American entrepreneur and politician of Czech origin. In 1931 he became mayor of Chicago. On 15 February 1933, when he was visiting President Roosevelt in Miami, he was severely injured by a Sicilian assassin, and later died as a result of his injuries.

In the second half of 1997, the Office was connected to the Internet. The development of a national search patent database started so that easily accessible information would be available also via the Internet. Regular Bulletin issues started being published on CD-ROM. The Bulletin was also available in ULTRANET's computer network for both, its own staff and the public.

The IPO CZ established

After the separation of Czechoslovakia the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic was established, located in Revoluční street. The Office moved to the current building at the beginning of 1995.

Patent No. 277 680 was the first patent granted by the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic in 1993 after the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic.

Act No. 478, from 24 September 1992 on Utility Models.

The first application for registration of a utility model into the register based on application PUV 1-92, for glass products

The first European patent No. 385154 granted to a Czech application with priority - CS19890001209 19890227

Herpes remedy - Antonín Holý, Erik Declercq

Authorized Certificate No. 199 093, issued based on application PV 6839-77, dated 20 October 1977. Original Czech herpes remedy. It was a result of the development of a very promising "first generation" substance. A research team of Czech organic chemist Antonín Holý, who worked at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, developed preparations that became vital components in the most effective and available drugs against smallpox virus, shingles, viral inflammation of the eye, viral hepatitis type B, and contributed to the invention of so far the most effective drug helping people with AIDS.

CERTIFICATE for the Registration of Designation of Origin No. 1 for designations Plzen, Pilsen, Pils, Pilsener, Pilsner (including other foreign language versions).

"Description of the Invention for Author's Certificate" number 149261, based on which the Office issued the first AUTHOR'S CERTIFICATE on June 15, 1992.

Registration of the trademark Remoska. The first Remoska was created in the early fifties by Oldřich Homuta, it was named HUT and produced by a small workshop of Oldřich Homuta. After nationalization it was joined to the state enterprise REMOS, from which the name Remoska was derived (R-radio, E-electro, M-motors, O-repairs of S-appliances).

Contact lens made from soft hydrophilic material and method of its production - Otto Wichterle

Patent document No. 111034, issued based on an application PV 1844-62. Otto Wichterle's first lens-making device was assembled on Christmas in 1961 using a Mercury kids kit. On the improvised machine he poured the first soft contact lenses and the invention soon spread throughout the world.

Industrial Property Training Institute
The Office Institute for patents and inventions was established by decision of the President of the Office for Patents and Inventions on 31 August 1963.

BRNO 1957 – III. Czechoslovak Engineering Expo

Invitation of the State Office for Inventions and Standardization to the 3rd Czechoslovak Engineering Expo in Brno.

One of the first certificates for trademark recorded in the register under the number 107526 with international registration from 18 February 1929, issued on 9 January 1952 by the Patent Office.

Government Regulation 284/1949 Col. from 20 December 1949, on Delegation of Powers in the Area of Trademarks, Protective Patterns and Prototypes to the Patent Office. The regulation became effective on 1 January 1950.

Filling pencil “versatilka” -  Koh-i-noor Hardtmuth, České Budějovice.

Patent document 67590 issued based on an application from 15 December 1937.

First prototypes of versatilka appeared already in 1937. Initially, they had wooden casing, but the mechanics were already developed, including the spring. Versatilka was initially created as a holder for graphite and as a pencil that does not need trimming. It was valued for the possibility to quickly replace graphite for another one of different hardness, thickness and color.

Micro polarograph - Jaroslav Heyrovský

Patent document No. 68945 issued based on an application from 14 December 1936.

In 1959 Jaroslav Heyrovský received Nobel prize for the “invention and development of polarographic analytical method”.

CONFIRMATION on granting temporary patent protection for objects at the Prague spring expo 1935 under section 6 of the Patent Act, from 11 January 1897 No.30, and Government Regulation from 11 October 1923, No. 199 Col., on the Protection of Inventions during Expos.

Patent law - František Vitáček

According to historical sources the Patent Office in Prague was around 1930 a venue for very serious disputes around basic patents in radio technology, acoustic films, steam turbines and consumer goods. All this attracted a lot of attention to issues in patent practice. For example, František Vitáček, a specialist officer at that time, achieved some notoriety with his excellent work “Patent Law” published in 1933. Still today it is a valuable source of knowledge.

Adjusted shoe sole - T. & A. Baťa

Patent document No. 39256, issued based on an application from 29 March 1929.

Francovka ALPA

Trademark No. 106420, registered on 10 October 1930.

Already in 1913 Josef Veselý from Brno registered the trademark Alpa and started selling on the market a liniment with characteristic menthol fragrance. However, the typical blue label with yellow star was not introduced until 1930.

Building Kit – Jaroslav Vancl

Patent document No. 8452, granted based on an application from 9 September 1919. J. Vancl later improved this building kit and in 1925 started manufacturing it under the name “MERKUR”.

Patent document No. 4200, granted based on an application from 7 April 1920 with Austrian priority from 25 June 1917 to a joint-stock company formerly known as Škodovy závody v Plzni (Škoda Works in Pilsen). Protected from 15 May 1919 for Czech lands, Moravia and Silesia.

Cz. Patent No. 4771 granted based on the first Czechoslovak patent application P 1-1918, submitted on 31 October 1918.

Act No. 305 from 27 May 1919 on Preliminary Measures for Protecting Inventions.

This Act became the basis for the founding of the Patent Office and Patent Court located in Prague. The Patent Office became the single responsible authority for the entire country effective from 11 June 1919, but in fact, it had been in operation since January 1919.

Cz. patent No. 1 granted based on application P 70-1918, transferred from Austrian patent No. 71354.

The first patent file in Czech language was file No. 462 by Ladislav Bass from Prague "A casing for a box of matches", protected from 15 August 1919.

Act No. 471 from 24 July 1919 on Preliminary Measures for Protecting Trademarks.

Czech trademark No. 10 795, registered on 28 May 1919 in Prague (register volume OZ/Praha/7505-7732, p. 155).

Act No. 469 from 24 July 1919 on Preliminary Measures for Protecting Prototypes.