The Ukrainian delegation participated in the 6th IP Case Law Conference 2026, held on May 21–22, 2026, at the headquarters of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in Alicante, Spain.

 

The participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the event was supported by the EU4IP project “Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights: Expansion and Partnership”, funded by the European Union in collaboration with EUIPO.

 

The conference was organised by the EUIPO Boards of Appeal and is one of the key European platforms for professional discussion on the development of case law in the sphere of intellectual property. This year’s event was held under the forward-looking theme “Growing through change” and brought together top-level IP judges, representatives of national and international IP offices, appeal bodies, legal practitioners, academics, business representatives and international institutions.

 

 

The programme focuses on current trends in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the General Court of the EU and the Boards of Appeal of EUIPO, particularly in the areas of trade marks, industrial designs, evidentiary use of trademarks, domain name disputes, geographical indications, the interaction between registration and enforcement procedures, and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on law enforcement.

 

The Ukrainian side was represented at the event by:

 

• Bogdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of UANIPIO;

 

• Yurii Romaniuk, Head of the Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Department, UANIPIO;

 

• Igor Benedysiuk, Secretary of the Judicial Chamber for Intellectual Property and related Antimonopoly and Competition Cases of the Commercial Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, Judge;

 

• Tetiana Malashenkova, Judge of the Commercial Cassation Court within the Supreme Court;

 

• Mykhailo Dubinsky, The Head of Supervisory Board of National Association of Patent Attorneys (NAPA).

 

 

The participation of representatives from UANIPIO and Supreme Court justices in the Conference provided an opportunity to present the Ukrainian judicial perspective on intellectual property, in particular, regarding the practice of adjudicating IP disputes, the development of uniform approaches to law enforcement, and the significance of the EU Court’s case law for further aligning the Ukrainian judicial system and the intellectual property sector with EU standards.

 

“For Ukraine, participation in such events is of particular importance in the context of European integration. After all, our agenda includes not only the EU acquis adaptation of the legislation, but also the gradual establishment of consistent practices for its application. That is precisely why professional dialogue between Ukrainian judges, UANIPIO, EUIPO, and EU judicial institutions is crucial for the development of a predictable, effective, and European-oriented system for the protection of intellectual property rights in Ukraine,” – emphasized Bogdan Paduchak.

 

It is important to note that Ukraine’s participation in the IP Case Law Conference 2026 took place in the context of active efforts to align its IP legislation with EU law as part of the negotiation process regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

 

Meeting with representatives of the General Court of the EU

 

As part of the Conference, a separate meeting was held between representatives of UANIPIO and the Supreme Court and representatives of the General Court of the European Union.

 

The meeting was attended by:

 

• Savvas S. Papasavvas, Vice-President of the General Court of the EU;

 

• Ion Gâlea, President of the Eighth Chamber, Judge of the General Court of the EU;

 

• William Valasidis, Judge of the General Court of the EU.

 

The meeting was also attended by:

 

• Ibon Ormazabal Herrero, EU4IP Project Manager;

 

• Maryna Hepenko, Seconded National Expert with the International Partnerships Service of the EUIPO’s Department of Cooperation and Partnerships.

 

During the meeting, the parties discussed the importance of judicial dialogue in the IP sphere, particularly in the context of Ukraine’s European integration and the gradual alignment of national legislation and practice with the EU acquis.

 

 

The Ukrainian side informed its European colleagues about the current state of development of the IP system in Ukraine, work on legislative changes, as well as the role of the Supreme Court in shaping consistent approaches to the application of IP legislation.

 

Particular attention was paid to the use of the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) and the General Court of the EU in national judicial and administrative practice. The Ukrainian side also provided an update on the translation into Ukrainian of selected EU Court decisions in the sphere of IP and the dissemination of such materials among judges, experts, law enforcement agencies, and the professional community.

 

The parties also discussed possible areas for further cooperation, including professional exchanges between judges, expert consultations on EU practice in the field of intellectual property, the participation of Ukrainian judges in thematic events, and the exchange of relevant materials.

 

 

Photo: EUIPO

 

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