The heads of the IP offices of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Moldova spoke on the measures to support Ukrainian applicants in Europe during the panel discussion “Joint Support in Solving the Challenges for the IP System in Conditions of Ongoing War” within the framework of the meeting of the European delegation with the Ukrainian IP community. The discussion was moderated by Sandris Laganovskis, Director of the Institutional and Cooperation Department (ICD) of the EUIPO.
Poland has been helping Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale invasion. This was emphasised by the president of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland Edyta Demby-Siwek. She spoke about legislative and government initiatives aimed at supporting Ukrainian citizens, as well as about institutional cooperation between the IP offices of Ukraine and Poland and the assistance provided.
According to her, given the current situation, flexible deadlines are applied to applications for IP objects received from applicants from Ukraine. Additionally, the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland constantly reviews submitted applications for IP objects to determine whether the information provided by the applicants violates the principle of territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Director of the State Patent Office of the Republic of Lithuania Irina Urbonė talked about the initiatives of the country and its people to support Ukraine during a full-scale invasion. In order for aid to be effective, it is important to know about Ukraine’s needs, and this dialogue is very important for identifying Ukraine’s needs and opportunities in the IP sphere.
Director General of the Estonian Patent Office Margus Viher and Director of the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia Agris Batalauskis noted that helping Ukraine with all possible issues is one of the priorities of their countries.
Among other things, Margus Viher emphasised the importance of joining the European Union IP Network (EUIPN), a network consisting of the EUIPO and the national IP offices of the EU countries. According to him, joining the network opens the way to many tools that will be important for business.
Agris Batalauskis added that the EUIPN is a great platform for knowledge sharing, which provides an opportunity to borrow best practices. In his opinion, Ukraine deserved to become part of this network.
The visit of a foreign delegation to Ukraine and the decisions made during the visit show that our partners not only promise but also prove their promises with concrete actions. This was emphasised by the Director General of the State Agency of Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova, Eugeniu Rusu. He noted that Ukraine and Moldova have a common goal – the movement towards full integration with the EU.
Photo: Yurii Bielakh
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