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During the elapsed period collaboration with the states party to the EAPC was practiced within the framework of sessions of the Administrative Council of the Organization, the Budget Working Group, and also by organizing and conducting joint seminars and on-the-job trainings for the representatives of national patent offices, by providing equipment to national patent offices and assuring its effective use, including Internet connections etc., and sending common delegates to various international, national, and specialized events.
Regularly mailing of the EAPO printed publications to the patent offices of the Agreeing states has become an established practice. Starting 1999, however, a new type of information media - CD-ROMs recorded by EAPO - is being gradually introduced.
A significant step forward was direct access to several EAPO databases via wire communication channels.
At the same time EAPO has prepared a CD-ROM edition of its legislation which was also forwarded to national patent offices of the Agreeing States.
The practice of the participation of EAPO experts in the international seminars held in the patent offices of the Contracting states was further expanded in 1999.
The strengthening of the financial position of the Organization allowed the management to start developing the program of active help for national patent offices of the Contracting states in such directions as: improving the technical resources of offices (supplying modern computer equipment to them); improving their access to the patent information databases world wide (providing Internet access); informing the world community about the activity of national patent offices of the states party to the Organization (development of national websites, posting of the appropriate information on the EAPO website), etc.
