The Government of the Republic of Moldova today approved the draft Government Decision on the Information Platform in the Field of Protection of Intellectual Property Rights.

This project aims to improve interinstitutional communication and coordination by automating the process of collecting and transmitting data relevant to the application of intellectual property protection mechanisms by the authorities involved in the field, namely AGEPI, Customs Service, Public Prosecutor’s Office, General Police Inspectorate within the MIA, Agency for Courts Administration within the Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor General’s Office, Agency for Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance.

The need to establish an electronic platform to ensure communication between the authorities responsible for the enforcement of intellectual property rights and rightholders was imposed in the context of the commitments assumed by the Republic of Moldova under the RM-EU Association Agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights, for the implementation of the Action Plan on the implementation of the Republic of Moldova - European Union Association Agreement during the period 2017–2019, approved by Government Decision No. 1472/2016.

The information platform consists of 2 information systems:

- Information System in the Field of Protection of Intellectual Property Objects, whose owner is AGEPI, which will allow to increase the management capacity of the intellectual property system by the main actors involved in the enforcement of intellectual property rights by facilitating the exchange of data between them, by various forms of notifications.

 - Information System “Register of Applications for Action”, whose owner is the Customs Service, which will allow holders of intellectual property rights or their representatives to submit in online and secure regime applications for action for the enforcement of intellectual property protection measures at the border and to be able to follow in real time the resolution of these applications, and will provide the Customs Service with a mechanism for managing the applications for action submitted.

For both Information Systems, the technical concepts were approved, as well as the Regulations on the organization and functioning of the Registers formed by them.

The main beneficiaries of the said information systems are: applicants/rightholders (natural/legal persons); public authorities vested with responsibilities in the field of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights; the courts; academic institutions and universities; research and innovation organizations.

The Information Platform in the Field of Protection of Intellectual Property Rights was developed with the support of the EU Technical Assistance Project “Support to Enforcement of the Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova”.