The outcomes of the EU Technical Assistance Project “Support to e Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova” were presented on 6 November this year in the framework of the event entitled “Two Years of Activity for a Stronger and More Effective Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement System”, dedicated to closing the Project.
The event was attended by representatives of the central public authorities of the Republic of Moldova, the European Union Delegation to Chisinau, the beneficiary institutions of the project, the judiciary system, the research and development institutions, the civil society, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Chisinau.
In the framework of the event, AGEPI Director General Lilia Bolocan said that this project contributed both to making the interaction of the intellectual property rights protection authorities more efficient and to improving the business environment, disciplining economic agents and consumers and improving the investment image of the Republic of Moldova. “The project contributed to the fulfillment of the commitments assumed by the Republic of Moldova under the Association Agreement and the Association Agenda between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union and supported the efforts of AGEPI and other entities in the country to build a respect-based intellectual property culture, because only a society with a high level of culture in the given field, who understands and respects the intellectual creation, is heading for stability, sustainable economic development and social and cultural progress.”, stressed Lilia Bolocan.
In turn, the representative of the EU Delegation to Chisinau, Marco Gemmer, remarked on the importance of strengthening the intellectual property system in the Republic of Moldova in order to create a favorable environment for investment and business development, welcoming the participation of the representatives of the private and associative sector. Appreciating the outcomes of the project, Marco Gemmer assured participants in the event that the European Union will continue to support Moldova’s efforts for economic development, including the building of an effective intellectual property system.
Maximilian Foedinger, the project leader in his message addressed to the participants, thanked all the actors involved in the project implementation, while stressing that the success of a project depends on the contribution and dedication of both the implementation team and project beneficiaries, noting that the project “Support to Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova” can serve as a model of good practice in this respect.
The EU Project experts made a presentation of the project outcomes and even tested the tools developed within the project. Thus, in order to improve the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the Republic of Moldova, the project has implemented a cultural change program in the field of intellectual property, which included training events and activities, seminars, workshops, round tables, information campaigns, elaboration of methodological documents, studies, guidelines and recommendations for project beneficiaries.
At the same time, an E-Learning Platform was developed within the project in order to strengthen the educational system in the field of IP. The project also contributed to the revision of the university curriculum and the development of lesson models for lyceums, instructive-educational materials, which will then be integrated into the E-learning platform.
A useful and highly awaited tool for authorities with intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement capacities is the IT system developed within the project, in the form of a communication and data exchange platform between institutions with responsibilities in the IPR enforcement field. The integration of this system will take place on the basis of a Government Decision that will regulate the cooperation between the public institutions involved in this process. Currently, the platform is hosted by AGEPI and can be enhanced or developed with other modules.
Significant efforts have also been made to strengthen the geographical indications (GIs) system in the Republic of Moldova. Among the results obtained in this chapter were mentioned the Study on the evaluation of the potential of traditional products eligible to be protected by the GIs system, the trainings organized for the authorities responsible for the certification and control of GI products, the promotion of the system among producers, and also the review of the regulatory framework in the field.
Moreover, Project experts provided assistance in initiating the GI registration process for 6 Moldovan traditional products and creating 5 associations of producers to register new GIs, including the drafting of specifications. Moreover, an interactive map of protected and potential geographic indications has been developed.
The overall objective of the project was to streamline the implementation and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the Republic of Moldova.
The project was structured in 6 components that focused on three key directions: the implementation of the cultural change program in the field of intellectual property, the development of an information system to facilitate the exchange of information between the state institutions involved in the protection and enforcement of IP rights and the development of the geographical indications system.
The beneficiary of the project was the State Agency on Intellectual Property, having as co-beneficiary partners the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Customs Service, the Agency for Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance and the Agency for Courts Administration. At the same time, the project activities covered all stakeholders, including governmental and non-governmental organizations, the judiciary system, research and development institutions, the entrepreneurial sector and civil society.
