On 8 September this year, it is 26 years since the creation of the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) and the establishment of the national intellectual property system of the Republic of Moldova. On this occasion, we developed a conventional ranking of 26 achievements of AGEPI during this period.

1. Creation and strengthening of a complex regulatory and institutional framework, in line with international and EU standards, which encourages intellectual creation and provides adequate protection for its results;

2. Training of qualified professionals in the field, including 480 counselors in intellectual property;

3. Integration of the National Intellectual Property System into the international one. Currently, the Republic of Moldova is a party to all 25 international treaties administered by WIPO, 3 - administered by WTO, UPOV, UNESCO, as well as 15 regional and bilateral agreements;

4. Assertion of AGEPI as a reliable partner of the international community representing the Republic of Moldova in the international and regional specialized organizations: WIPO, UPOV, EPO, EAPO, EUIPO, CIPPPI, etc. AGEPI co-operates on a mutually beneficial partnership with a wide range of specialized offices in the world;

5. Providing free access to all databases created and managed by AGEPI;

6. Establishment in 2011 within AGEPI of the information point Observatory on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights, which ensures the exchange of information between the authorities responsible for the enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as annually publishes the National Report on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova;

7. On 1 January 2013, AGEPI launched the web service „Online Filing of Applications for Registration of Intellectual Property Objects”. Since the launch, up to now, 5430 online applications have been filed.

8. Entry into force on 01.04.2013 of the Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the EU on the Protection of Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs, signed on 26.06.2012. Under the Agreement, 3739 EU geographical indications and appellations of origin are protected on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, 8 geographical indications from the Republic of Moldova are protected on the EU territory, and 2 are transmitted for protection;

9. In 2013, AGEPI obtained the Quality Management System Compliance Certificate, implemented within AGEPI, according to the ISO 9001:2008 standard;

10. In 2014, the AGEPI services are integrated into the unique government portal of services servicii.gov.md, offering the possibility for any interested person to apply for acquisition of an intellectual property right;

11. Entry into force on 1 November 2015 of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the European Patent Organization on Validation of European Patents;

12. In 2015, AGEPI launches a new application about inventions, inventors and patents registered in the Republic of Moldova by national and international route – Patent Landscape;

13. In 2015, data from the National Trademarks database were transmitted to be included in the Global Brand Database (a tool created and managed by WIPO);

14. Approval of the Regulation on Support for Patenting Abroad of Inventions and Plant Varieties created in the Republic of Moldova, in force since July 2016. Thus, AGEPI provides financial support of up to three thousand Euros to support patenting abroad of inventions and plant varieties;

15. Entry into force on 1 July 2016 of the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, including the intellectual property rights chapter;

16. Due to the efforts and support given by AGEPI, a lot of inventors, writers and artists from the Republic of Moldova have become known and recognized in the world, in the first ranks being the 32 inventors who have won the title of laureates of the highest WIPO Award and the WIPO Golden Medal “For Inventors”, 7 institutions/enterprises have won the WIPO Trophy “Innovative Enterprise”, and 10 creative people (writers, artists, performers) have become laureates of the WIPO Gold Medal ”For Creativity”. In 2017, for the first time, the WIPO Gold Medal was awarded to an innovative pupil.

17. Reduction of the terms of examination and registration of trademarks, industrial designs, making the intellectual property objects protection system more accessible.

18. Intensive promotion and strengthening of the system of protection of geographical indications (GIs), appellations of origin (AO) and traditional guaranteed specialties (TGS) in the Republic of Moldova, granting support to applicants upon registration of GIs and AO, as a result 7 indigenous geographical indications and 3 appellations of origin being registered at present, and 8 of them have also been protected in the EU.

19. Information of the general public on the damages of the phenomena of counterfeiting and piracy through the national campaigns “Stop Piracy and Counterfeiting”. Thus, there were conducted: in 2012 – Public Consumer Awareness Campaign “STOP Piracy and Counterfeiting!”; in 2014 – Chisinau Pupil Awareness Campaign, and in 2018 is conducted the Country Pupil Awareness Campaign;

20. Inclusion in the curriculum, at the lyceum stage, of a training course “Introduction to Intellectual Property”;

21. Strengthening of the system for collective management of copyright and related rights in the Republic of Moldova in order to implement functional mechanisms for equitable distribution of copyright remunerations and ensure transparency in the respective field;

22. In 2016, a modern consultancy center (call center) was established (within AGEPI) through which applicants can get free consultations;

23. Initiation, in 2018, of the process of developing the Distance Learning Platform in the field of intellectual property: e-learning, which will enable any interested person to acquire knowledge in the field of intellectual property;

24. Elaboration of a functional information data exchange system between the institutions and authorities of the state responsible for the protection and enforcement of IP rights: AGEPI, Customs Service, MIA, Public Prosecutor’s Office, Agency for Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance, etc. (to be launched soon);

25. In 2017 – transmission of data from national databases National Trademarks, National Industrial Designs to be included in the TM View or Design View (tools created and managed by EUIPO). This ensures increased visibility of intellectual property objects protected in the Republic of Moldova;

26. In 2018, the AGEPI was reorganized from a public institution under the subordination of the Government into a central administrative authority subordinated to the Government.