Eight WIPO Advanced Intellectual Property Research Forum: Intellectual Property Law and Institutions – New Perspectives and Dimensions
Speech by Mr. Yurii Klymenko, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ukraine (Geneva, May 26, 2014)
Dear colleagues, speakers and participants,
It gives me great pleasure to be here today and start up with you this important event.
The general topic of the forum is very timely and deals with some of main challenges the global intellectual property system is presently facing. We clearly realise that the context in which IP was born has drastically changed since then, leading to transformation of economic and social dimension of IP. People today have begun to better understand that the result of their intellectual activity may be an economic category, that is property, which has to be valued and duly protected.
Thus the role of a legal framework to guarantee IP rights and of a broader admission of various stakeholders to the IP policy- and law-making processes is crucial for the future development of national and universal IP systems.
In this light it is worth noting that the improvement of the current legislation in the IP sphere has always been required and it remains to be one of the important concerns of competent state organs of Ukraine. Twenty years of the legal regulation of relations concerning the results of intellectual and creative activities in independent Ukraine have been crowned with the establishment of the strong legal framework.
However, it is necessary to carefuly consider the current challenges and adapt the legislation developed at the professional level in the past time to the modern conditions and requirements. Our State Intellectual Property Service and other state agencies, involved in IP, take measures to perfect the legal basis and to enhance the mechanisms of implementation of legal provisions.
Ukraine as a relatively young state seeks for an opportunity to acquire other countries’ practical knowledge and expertise in IP. For example, in 2013 the Ukrainian IP Service arranged a number of events aimed at the fulfilment of the Priorities of the Agenda of the EU-Ukraine Association in IP. During the year, preparations for the implementation of the TWINNING project “Strengthening the Protection and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in Ukraine” was in progress. The Project covers the analysis of the Ukrainian IP legislation versus the relevant EU legislation, arrangement of training and a number of tutorials for state officers, including judges trying cases on IP matters.
At the same time, Ukraine possesses an IP system that is developed enough to share its own experience with other countries. Traditionally, every year Ukraine hosts a numerous scientific and practical conferences and workshops, many of them under the aegis of WIPO, which are attended by hundreds of representatives from different parts of the world, providing with great opportunity for IP specialists to discuss and come to joint ways in dealing with urgent issues in this domain.
Also, one of the key components of promotion of legal culture of the Ukrainians in the field of legal protection of creativity results is teaching intellectual property, for instance, by provision of the educational course “Intellectual Property” in the higher education institutions. Each year 120 thousand students join the process of gaining knowledge in fundamentals of acquiring, exercising and enforcing IP rights.
And I am happy that academic representatives from Ukraine are attending this forum to contribute to the discussion and to expand their knowledge on the subject matter.
The programme of the meeting indeed is perfectly tailored to the participants to touch upon various aspects of the interface of IP law and relevant institutions.
To conclude let me express sincere gratitude to Mr. Michal Svantner, Mr. Guy Pessach and all others involved for making this event feasible. The forum would not have taken place without boundless enthusiasm and professional competence of the organisers. Therefore, I am convinced that this year meeting will maintain the level of discussion raised by the previous fora which proved to be very fruitful.
I wish you all every success, further progress in your research and new discoveries.
Thank you.