In late May 2013 came off the press the work “National Report on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova, 2012”. The work was published with the support of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) and is the first publication in Moldova which inserts in its pages the current situation of the phenomenon of counterfeiting and piracy in the Republic of Moldova and the evolution and impact that these phenomena have on the world economy.

To select the required material authors appealed to the majority of institutions active in the field of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the country, namely: Customs Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prosecutor General’s Office, State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova, Competition Council, and Agency for Consumer Protection.

Since it is the first work of its kind developed at the country level, the work includes not only statistical data provided by the institutions mentioned above, but also a brief history of counterfeiting and piracy, economic and social impact of these phenomena, legal framework for the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the Republic of Moldova and a brief description of the activities undertaken by the Observatory on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights during 2012.

Simultaneously, the work reviews the actions taken at national level by institutions involved in the system of protection of intellectual property, to raise awareness and inform consumers about the risks of counterfeiting and piracy. We should note in this context the Public Consumer Awareness Campaign entitled “STOP Piracy and Counterfeiting!”, organized by AGEPI within the Twinning Project “Support to Implementation and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova”, with the assistance of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Detailed information about the actions carried out under the Campaign is presented in the pages of the publication.

The published work can be found at the AGEPI Library and on www.stoppirateria.md.