The 2nd edition of the Regional Seminar entitled “Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”, organized by the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova is taking place on 5-6 June 2019 in Chisinau. The venue of the event is the Conference Hall of the Palace of the Republic.

The Seminar aims at enhancing knowledge in the field of intellectual property (IP), identifying the challenges faced by the authorities responsible for the enforcement of intellectual property rights and exchanging experiences, best practices and tools to counter counterfeiting and illicit trade. The work of the current edition will address the issue of IP dispute investigation and examination, especially infringement of trademark rights.

The event brings together representatives of the public institutions and authorities with attributions in the field of IPR protection and enforcement (representatives of IP offices, police officers, customs inspectors, inspectors responsible for consumer protection, prosecutors and judges) from the Republic of Moldova and Romania, Albania, Azerbaijan, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Montenegro, Holland, Tajikistan. Representatives of WIPO, the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) and the EU Delegation to Chisinau also participate in the event.

In the opening of the event, AGEPI Director General Lilia Bolocan said: “I am very pleased and honored, as a representative of the host country, to open the 2nd edition of the Regional Seminar “Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”. This Regional Seminar is a great opportunity to discuss multilaterally in a professional framework issues related to the topic proposed, to take on experiences and exchange good practices on topics of major interest to society, such as: challenges of the national intellectual property system; enforcement of IP rights from a judicial perspective; border protection measures; aspects of infringement of IP rights, including in the online environment; the role of holders in IPR enforcement; procedural aspects of civil and criminal law; we will learn about the developments in the case law, all of which are mainly focused on enforcement of trademark rights. I think this exercise will be particularly useful to all of us and will boost partnership between state institutions and society as a whole.”

In turn, Xavier Vermandele, Senior Legal Counsellor, Building Respect for IP Division, WIPO Global Issues Sector, stressed: “I want to thank AGEPI and the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova for organizing this Regional Seminar, which aims at building respect for IPR in the Republic of Moldova, as well as the representatives of the countries that are here. Intellectual property rights are an important economic tool, with which we can ensure a dynamic in economic development. IPR enforcement protection needs an effective framework, as respect therefor is required for both holders and consumers. Thus, the public and the authorities are allies. They must work together to increase respect for IP rights.”

In her welcoming speech to the participants, Diana Scobioala, Director of the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, talked about the importance of continuous training of the persons in the judiciary system in the field of intellectual property, for the correct examination of disputes related to this area. “I thank you for this organization and opportunity for the beneficiaries in the judiciary system to participate in this seminar, and I wish you success during these two days, because the agenda is ambitious. At the same time, I thank the experts who will contribute with useful information to the conduct of this event.”

For a period of two days, the participants in the Seminar will address current IPR enforcement issues such as border protection measures, evidence of intellectual property rights violations, including in the application of interim measures and at the stage of adoption of court rulings, the assessment of IPR infringement damages, IP infringement in the digital environment, the role of right holders in IPR enforcement, trademark cancellation and invalidation procedures, dispose of IPR infringing goods, proportionality of the sentence, etc. There will also be presented the experiences of the States participating in the Seminar on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, and also in the field of public/public and public/private strategic cooperation.

The Regional Seminar Program with detailed topics can be accessed below.