On 25 May this year, the delegation of the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI), headed by Octavian Apostol, AGEPI Director General participates in the National Seminar “Protection and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in Auto Parts”.

The event takes place in Bucharest and is organized by the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks of Romania (OSIM), in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The event is attended by representatives of WIPO, EUROPOL, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), intellectual property offices of the states in the region, Romanian public authorities responsible for the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including at the border: General Customs Directorate, Romanian General Police Inspectorate, Romanian Border Police, etc.

The seminar is conceived as a discussion platform in which the legal aspects concerning the protection of spare parts in the automotive industry are tackled, as well as the measures to combat their counterfeiting in the European Union and Romania, offering the participants the opportunity to get acquainted with the best practices registered internationally.

The participants in the seminar will also discuss issues related to the enforcement of intellectual property rights at the border, on the internal market, raising consumer awareness, the role and prospects of right holders, etc. The experts will present the experience of Romania and EUROPOL in the field of enforcement of intellectual property rights in this field.

Counterfeiting affects practically all sectors of industry, including the automotive industry. The impact of this phenomenon is a major one, affecting not only the right holders and their reputation, but first of all the consumers. The use of counterfeit spare parts manufactured without being subject to controls by the authorities and without complying with quality standards jeopardizes safety, endangering the lives of road users.