The representatives of the IP Office actively participate in the meetings of the 22nd session of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Working Group on the Legal Development of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks (the Working Group).
The meeting takes place on 7-11 October 2024 at WIPO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, in a hybrid format.
The Ukrainian delegation is represented:
The meetings of the 22nd session of the WIPO Working Group were the busiest in the history, as the largest number of documents and proposals were submitted by WIPO Member States and the Secretariat.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Deputy Director General of WIPO, Ms. Binyin Wang, addressed the participants of the Working Group and highlighted the main vectors of development and performance indicators of the Madrid System.
According to her, there has been a decline in the number of international applications filed under the Madrid system, which is explained by global economic instability. At the same time, from January to August 2024, there was a gradual increase in the number of international applications. At the same time, the number of applications for the renewal of international registrations and subsequent territorial extension continues to grow, which, according to Ms Binyin Wang, demonstrates the resilience of the Madrid system.
Ms. Binyin Wang also noted that the WIPO International Bureau will continue to focus on the introduction of new and improvement of existing digital tools of the Madrid System, such as Madrid e-Filling and other electronic services.
In his statement on behalf of the Ukrainian delegation, Bogdan Paduchak stressed that Russia is not only occupying Ukrainian territories, violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but is also trying to destroy everything Ukrainian: cultural heritage, identity, and even appropriating our geographical indications and local brands of Ukraine.
“The situation with Russia’s theft of the Melitopol Cherry GI is a global problem and requires a quick response from the international community,” the representative of the Ukrainian IP office is convinced.
He thanked all the like-minded countries that supported Ukraine during this year’s General Assembly and decided to continue to provide assistance and support to the innovation and creative sectors and the intellectual property system of Ukraine.
“One of the requests of the Member States to the WIPO International Bureau, which we would like to highlight today, is to take measures to ensure that publications on WIPO resources and platforms respect the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders,” called on Bogdan Paduchak.
He added that Russia is trying to legitimise its invasion and occupation, including by providing false information about the addresses of applicants from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine through global IP services such as the Madrid system.
First Deputy Director of the IP Office Bogdan Paduchak (pictured in the centre)
The First Deputy Director of the Ukrainian IP Office called on the WIPO International Bureau to consider possible technical and organisational measures to ensure full recognition of Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders in all IP-related contexts, WIPO Registries and global services.
Ukraine’s statement was supported by:
Representative of the delegation of Moldova
Ramiz Ramazanov, Counsellor of the Economic Section of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN Office and other international organisations in Geneva, in response to the attempts of Russian representatives to legitimise the temporary occupation of the territory of Ukraine, said:
” The aggressor state should not be allowed to use this Organization as a stage to promote its false narratives and propaganda in attempts to justify what can never be justified – aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity, perpetrated by Russia in the sovereign Ukraine’s territory.”
Ramiz Ramazanov, Counsellor, Economic Section, Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva (pictured in the centre)
Also, the representatives of Ukraine joined the statement made by the Delegation of Moldova on behalf of the CEBS Group on the amendments to the Rule 8(2) of the Regulations under the Protocol to the Madrid Agreement (proposal by the Delegation of Moldova MM/LD/WG/22/4), which would allow Contracting Parties to have more flexibility in the consideration of international applications filed by two or more applicants jointly holding the basic trademark application/registration, if only one of them has a connection with the Office of origin, calling for further discussion of this proposal.
As Tetiana Terekhova noted, under the current system, applicants from different jurisdictions are often forced to be overly creative in their attempts to file joint international applications:
“The proposed changes will simplify the process, making it more equitable and accessible to all co-applicants from different regions.”
Tetiana Terekhova, Head of the Trademark Law Unit of the Ukrainian IP Office
According to Tetiana Terekhova, the detailed consideration of the proposed amendments to the Regulations will facilitate cross regional cooperation:
“As we have seen in other WIPO projects and Committee discussions, enhanced cooperation contributes to more effective use of the benefits of the IP system and to increased economic stability. By removing barriers, we are enabling businesses from different jurisdictions to collaborate more effectively. This will lead to a more integrated global IP landscape.“
The consideration of Moldova’s proposal will continue at the 22nd session of the WIPO Working Group.
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