Release of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office on the external attack against its IT system

The Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIPO) provides the following information regarding the news broadcasted by HÍR TV on 24 October 2013.

HIPO learned about the unauthorized access to patent applications on 16 September 2013. It was established that this was the result of a targeted, systematic attack committed in bad faith. Following this, the HIPO took all the necessary steps to prevent further abuse and identify the perpetrators: it increased information security measures, reported the incident to the police and notified the information security authority as well as the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice thereof.

HIPO has identified the patent applications potentially concerned by the abuse. The unauthorized access did not affect any classified applications. The content of the potentially concerned applications has not been made available to the public in any way that could hinder or impede obtaining protection domestically or abroad.

Even in the case of unlawful publication, the patentability prospects of applications remain unaffected: in the patent granting procedure the HIPO examines requirements of protection as on the date of priority and legal protection deriving from a granted patent is effective retroactively from the filing date of the application. The guarantees of foreign patenting are the priority year under the Paris Convention and the internationally recognised rules on the grace period.

In order to manage the risks of applicants and dissipate uncertainties, HIPO shall directly and individually contact the potentially affected applicants and their legal representatives.

Besides, to protect the interests of applicants, HIPO also ensures that the potentially affected clients may have confidential consultation opportunities. Such requests may be addressed to konzultacio [169] hipo [961] gov [961] hu . The partners of HIPO may ask questions or request consultation appointments in e-mails sent to this address.

Hungarian Intellectual Property Office