Patent documentation and Information activities

One of the most critical tasks of the National Office of Inventions in this period of time was to collect, process, store and explore industrial property information and documentation that would facilitate the substantive examination of applications for protection titles and R&D activities, production and business activities of individuals and organizations nationwide. The necessary industrial property documentations were mainly composed of the specifications for inventions/ utility solutions, industrial property gazettes of other nations and international organizations.

Against the background of limited financial resources allocated for import of documentation, the National Office of Inventions advocated to expand cooperative relations, exchange of information and documentation with concerned countries, international organizations, primarily with socialist block, especially with the former Soviet Union and the Democratic Republic of Germany. In 1982, the Office received millions of specifications for inventions published by the State Committee of Inventions and Discoveries of the Soviet Union since 1924. In addition, the National Office of Inventions also regularly received the specifications for inventions and trademarks gazettes, industrial property legal and specialized materials from the socialist block. Up to 1989, the National Office of Inventions did collect some 7 millions of paper specifications. In order to make use of acquired documentation, the Office applied the bibliographic data classified in line with the International Patent Classification. The National Office of Inventions also translated and published the International Patent Classification, the 3 rd edition.

In January of 1984, the first invention and trademark gazette was issued (in Vietnamese, Russian and English). From 1985 to 1989, the invention and trademark gazettes were quarterly issued in the said languages. Along with the issuance of gazettes, the National Office of Inventions also stored them in the Office and exchange with foreign ones as well as to distribute to local individuals, organizations at their requests.

In general, information and documentation activities on this period of time focused on document collection, seeking the ways and tools for searching, publication of gazettes on granted inventions and trademarks in conformity with the provisions of the Decree 31-CP and the Decree 197-HDBT by the Government. The available patent documentation was then inefficient owning to limited space, the small volumes of collected documentation and the low public need in patent information.