How does the war affect Ukraine and the national IP Office functioning? What efforts does the IP Office make to improve the IP landscape, innovation and creativity sectors? How does the Ukrainian IP Office cooperate with other IP offices and institutions in Europe and beyond?
Bogdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of the IP Office, noted this during the 42nd Annual ECTA Conference, which took place from 19 to 21 June 2024 in Antwerp (Belgium).
The academic segment of the ECTA Annual Conference commenced with a welcoming speech by WIPO Director General Daren Tang.
During the welcoming speech by Daren Tang
The first panel, moderated by ECTA’s Second Vice President Paola Ruggiero, focused on the latest developments in the field of intellectual property.
The discussion joined:
During the panel discussion, the dialogue provided numerous interesting topics for the IP community: strategic development directions of the key EU IP institutions, future legislative changes in the field of intellectual property in Europe, the impact of artificial intelligence on intellectual property and modernization of IP offices.
Bogdan Paduchak noted that it was a great honor for him to participate within the ECTA Annual Conference and join the discussion with such distinguished guests. He expressed his gratitude to the entire civilized world for supporting Ukraine and the national IP sphere in these extremely difficult and unprecedented times.
“Today is the 848th day since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the russian federation. The number of damaged or destroyed civilian infrastructure facilities in Ukraine has exceeded 164,000, including residential buildings, educational and medical institutions, cultural and religious buildings, water and electricity networks. russian aggression is destroying Ukraine’s cultural heritage on a scale unprecedented since the Second World War,” the speaker provided the stunning statistics.
He also noted that a few weeks ago, the printing plant of the “Vivat” publishing company in Kharkiv was attacked by a rocket missile attack from russia. The attack killed 7 people and injured 21. This printing house is one of the largest full-cycle printing complexes in Europe.
Bogdan Paduchak added that due to the energy infrastructure destruction by the russians, there are long power cuts and significant interruptions in the Internet throughout Ukraine. Moreover, the situation will get worse as the shelling continues.
“Despite all the security challenges, lack of electricity, communication interruptions, the Ukrainian IP Office continues to perform its functions. I would also like to note the tremendous support of the national IP office and the intellectual property sphere in general by international partners,” emphasized the First Deputy Director of the IP Office.
Analyzing the dynamics of applications for intellectual property rights registration received by the Ukrainian IP office, the speaker noted that in 2023 there was an increase in applicant activity. The numbers are better than in the first year of the full-scale invasion, but remain lower than in the years before the full-scale war.
“The increase in the number of applications for intellectual property rights in 2023 is a clear indication of the intensification of the activities of innovators, inventors, creators and businesses. It is also the result of positive expectations regarding the development of the economic, political and social situation in Ukraine”, – Bogdan Paduchak is convinced.
Participants of the 42nd Annual ECTA Conference
Photo: ECTA
Read also:
The Ukrainian IP Office deepens cooperation with the Patent Office of Latvia: management meeting
No Comments