What is the intellectual property system in the Republic of Moldova? What impact do counterfeit products have on the population? How can offenses in the digital environment be prevented and combated? These are just some of the topics of the future guide that will be drafted by experts of the EU Project “Support to Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”.

In this respect, the experts of the project, Ion Tiganas and Monica Pop, met on 12 and 15 December with representatives of the General Police Inspectorate (GPI) and the Prosecutor General’s Office to discuss the structure and content of the intellectual property guide.

The guide is intended to be a useful information support for all practitioners in the field of criminal application of intellectual property rights and will clarify both aspects of incrimination of offenses infringing intellectual property rights as well as special investigation techniques.

“The purpose of this guide is to support Moldovan authorities to fight against piracy and counterfeiting more effectively by providing officers working in the territory and prosecutors with practical examples and useful information on possible infringements of intellectual property rights”, said Monica Pop, prosecutor and representative of Romania within the Observatory of the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

In turn, Marcel Caminschi, head of the GPI Economic Fraud Investigation Division, said: “We would like to know what is the situation in Romania regarding the criminal field of intellectual property rights, in order to take over the best practices and implement them in our country. We need such a guide to improve our capacities and implement new methods in investigating intellectual property frauds.”

The Guide on the system of implementation of intellectual property rights through criminal mechanisms will include the main legislative provisions in the field, the impact of counterfeiting and piracy in the Republic of Moldova, the legal and practical aspects of investigations in the case of intellectual property offenses, case studies, and important points of contact both from the Republic of Moldova and across the European Union.