In response to the unprecedented challenges caused by the full-scale war, Ukraine and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that deepens the strategic partnership between the state and the international community in the field of intellectual property (IP).
The Memorandum of Understanding on IP Cooperation was signed by Oleksandr Tsybort, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization, and Daren Tang, WIPO Director General, on July 7, in Geneva, Switzerland.
This document establishes a new level of partnership and is aimed at supporting the national intellectual property ecosystem, innovation and creative sectors, which have been significantly negatively affected by the ongoing armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine.
The main areas of cooperation include:
– Further development of the national intellectual property system, strengthening the protection and enforcement of IP rights, in particular copyright and related rights;
– Strengthening the capacity of the National Intellectual Property Authority, the functions of which are performed by the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO/IP) Office, including IT infrastructure and digital services;
– Support for Ukrainian SMEs, start-ups, universities and research institutes in building their IP capacity;
– Expanding opportunities for effective protection and commercialization of IP rights in the creative industries, etc.
The document also outlines the priority areas of cooperation, in particular:
– Promotion of the development and implementation of software services and IT infrastructure for the application of artificial intelligence elements in UANIPIO;
– Promotion of attracting grant and financial support to small and medium-sized businesses affected by the war;
– Cooperation on further implementation of the National Strategy for the Development of the Intellectual Property (IP) Sphere of Ukraine;
– Support for the development of the Ukrainian collective rights management system;
– Facilitating Ukraine’s accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration;
– Development of the WIPO ALERT tool;
– Support of the national network TISC, IP Academy and Ukrainian Mediation Center, which operate on the basis of UANIPIO;
– Introduction of the WIPO Intellectual Property Management Clinic for SMEs Program in Ukraine;
– Strengthening the fight against counterfeiting, support of law enforcement, etc.
“When it comes to intellectual property, we think not only in terms of law, but also in terms of services, data, and IT architecture. Intellectual property is about tools, protection and development. We do not need a vision “for later” but a clear action plan – what, how and with whom we are doing today. This memorandum provides exactly that: access to global experience, a guideline for practical cooperation and a scalable infrastructure – from digital services to new business opportunities and startups,” said Oleksandr Tsybort during the ceremony of signing of the memorandum.
WIPO, for its part, confirmed its readiness to expand technical, advisory and methodological support, in particular in the areas of legislative development, digitalization, mediation, training and promotion of IP in society.
The memorandum was signed for a period of two years. (Government portal)