How does the national economy suffer from the war that russia is waging against Ukraine? What are the most urgent problems of the IP sphere were identified during the diagnostic stage of the National IP Strategy development? How can the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) help the Ukrainian IP sphere? 

 

This was discussed during the meeting of the Ukrainian IP office’s leadership with representatives of the UK IPO and the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the World Trade Organization. The meeting took place on 17 July 2024 on the sidelines of the WIPO General Assembly.

 

Participants of the meeting:

 

• Sarah Roberts-Fewell, Deputy Director of Business and International Policy at the UK Intellectual Property Office’s Business and International Policy Directorate (Newport);

 

• Diana Passinke, Senior Policy Advisor, Directorate for Business and International Policy, UK Intellectual Property Office (London);

 

• Valeriano Simone, Intellectual Property Attaché, Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the World Trade Organization (Geneva);

 

• Olena Orliuk, Director UANIPIO;

 

• Bogdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director, UANIPIO;

 

• Vladyslav Bilotskyi, Deputy Director, UANIPIO.

 

Olena Orliuk expressed gratitude to the colleagues from the UK for their cooperation and leadership in supporting Ukraine, in particular at the WIPO platforms. She highlighted the activities of the IP Office and shared the plans for the Ukrainian IP sphere development, innovation and creative sectors, despite the extremely difficult conditions of the ongoing full-scale war.

 

“In the face of constant cyber threats, problems with power supply, limited resources to upgrade digital infrastructure, the Ukrainian IP Office continues to work”, –  assured Olena Orliuk.

 

According to Bogdan Paduchak, the First Deputy Director of the IP Office, the needs of Ukraine, the IP community and the national IP agency are changing rapidly due to the full-scale invasion:

 

“The national economy is suffering from the negative consequences of the ongoing russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Currently, almost 26% of Ukraine’s territory is temporarily occupied. The national business and research institutions are in a rather difficult financial and economic situation, as many of them have been displaced as a result of the hostilities and temporary occupation.”

 

According to Olena Orliuk, the Ukrainian IP Office is working tirelessly with innovators and startups, SMEs, and creative industries to strengthen their activities with IP protection and commercialization mechanisms. She also thanked for the trainings organized at the initiative of the UK in the field of creative industries, which were attended by Ukrainian representatives.

 

“Due to the active hostilities and massive rocket attacks, many cultural heritage sites and infrastructure have been either destroyed or severely damaged. UNESCO estimates that the total cost of damage to the culture and tourism sector in Ukraine over the past two years is almost USD 3.5 billion. That is why it is very important for us to make every effort in each activity area related to IP. As well as to teach and popularize IP culture in Ukraine,” stated Olena Orliuk.

 

Vladyslav Bilotskyi, Deputy Director of the IP Office, shared the status and plans for the IPR protection issues development in the functioning of the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations. Particular attention was paid to the operation of the IPR’s Infringement Monitoring Center and the Mediation Center.

 

The participants of the meeting also discussed the prospects for harmonization of Ukraine’s IP regulatory framework with EU legislation and further implementation of Chapter 9 “Intellectual Property” of the 2020 Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 

In conclusion, Olena Orliuk and Bogdan Paduchak called on the representatives of the UK Intellectual Property Office to work together to implement the recently adopted decision of the 65th WIPO Assembly on the continued support of Ukraine, its innovation and creative sectors and IP system, in particular, on the practical implementation of paragraph (c) of this decision to ensure the observance of the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders in publications on WIPO resources and platforms.

 

“Our firm position is that a terrorist country cannot have such privileges from WIPO,” the Director of the Ukrainian IP Office is convinced.

 

Read other news from the WIPO General Assembly:

 

The Decision of the General Assembly: WIPO will continue to support Ukraine in restoring and rebuilding the IP ecosystem, innovation and creative sectors

 

A terrorist state cannot have any privileges from WIPO, – Olena Orliuk during a meeting with WIPO Director General Daren Tang

 

The Ukrainian government delegation appeals to the WIPO General Assembly for theft by russia of the geographical indication “Melitopol Cherry”