On 23-24 October 2023, the EU delegation headed by EUIPO Executive Director João Negrao visited Kyiv to participate in the event “Building a Resilient IP Platform for Tomorrow”. The meeting was attended by representatives of EUIPO, Ukrainian IP Office (UANIPIO), European IP offices of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, as well as the State Agency of Intellectual Property of Moldova (AGEPI).
What was the purpose of the meeting?
João Negrao’s first foreign visit was to Ukraine, which demonstrates the importance of cooperation between EUIPO, EU national IP offices, AGEPI and UKIPO, and the promotion of initiatives of UANIPIO and the Ukrainian IP community to bring Ukraine closer to EU accession.
This cooperation is formalised in the form of a Work Plan for 2024 and 2025 in pursuance of the Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Cooperation between UANIPIO and EUIPO signed in Geneva in July 2023.
Why is it important for Ukraine to have the status of an EU candidate?
The question was answered by Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Economy of Ukraine, who noted that when conditions are created to harmonise rules and procedures in the field of intellectual property, Ukraine opens up to the world not only as an innovative and creative nation, but also significantly improves its investment attractiveness. The innovative post-war reconstruction of Ukraine partly depends on this.
Why is it important to create a strong intellectual property ecosystem in Ukraine?
Foreign investors will start investing in Ukraine’s development when investments are sufficiently protected, when the institutional framework promotes innovation, stimulates economic growth and creates jobs. And this is what EUIPO, national IP offices of EU countries, AGEPI and UANIPIO agreed on today.
What are the opportunities for Ukraine?
The Work Plan for 2024-2025 provides an opportunity for UANIPIO to benefit from EU support in areas related to the management of intellectual property rights: tools for examination purposes, support in harmonising the practice of registration and examination of trademark and design applications with EU practices, staff training opportunities and cooperation.