On September 8, 2017, we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the foundation 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, in the period 7-8 September, AGEPI, in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), organizes the Regional Conference on Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights. The event will bring together representatives of international organizations and copyright experts from nearly 20 countries. It is desirable that the Conference be a platform for exchange of experience and an opportunity to boost the development of the field of copyright in the Republic of Moldova.
The first day of the Conference will be followed by a concert dedicated to the jubilee of 25 years since the creation of AGEPI. The event will take place on September 7, 18:00, on the pedestrian street Eugen Doga in Chisinau. The institution aims to highlight the creativity of young artists as well as the recognized ones from the indigenous cultural environment, such as Sun Stroke Project, Ionel Istrati, Adrian Ursu, Akord, Smally, Gloria, Olia Tira, Diana Brescan, Katy Rain, Max Zavidia, Samir Loghin, Flavy DJ, Alisha, Radu Duminica, and Alexandra Druk.
On September 8, at 16:00, the Palace of the Republic will host the official ceremony dedicated to the AGEPI’s 25 years of activity, in which is expected to participate members of the Government, invitees from the Parliament, diplomatic missions and the business environment, as well as institutions in the field of science, innovation and higher education from the republic. At the event will also be present representatives of intellectual property offices from abroad. The Gold Medal of the World Intellectual Property Organization for Creativity will also be presented to a remarkable personality of the national culture of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, in the framework of the event will be presented the trademark registration certificate No. 30000.
The history of the foundation of specialized institutions in the field of intellectual property begins immediately after the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Moldova. During these 25 years, an environment conducive to the development of the intellectual property protection system has been created and the premises for the diversification of the ways of recovery of the national economy, including the use of the intellectual product, the implementation of the innovations and the technological transfer. The right of the citizens to intellectual property is enshrined in the Constitution of the country.
“25 years means a lot, but a little too. If we were to compare ourselves to the big offices in the field of intellectual property, we are still teenagers. But in the context of our country’s history and the results obtained during this period, we have a respectable age. In this quarter of a century, AGEPI has made a major contribution to the development and affirmation in the Republic of Moldova of an integrated and viable intellectual property protection system, comparable to the similar systems of countries with long traditions in the field.”, said Lilia Bolocan, Director General of AGEPI, at the Press Conference organized on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the creation of the State Agency on Intellectual Property.
The intellectual property system of the Republic of Moldova, although relatively young, has a rapid growth dynamics. The main milestones reflecting its development are reflected in the jubilee edition “25 Pages from the History of the National Intellectual Property System”.
Since the establishment, the registration of intellectual property objects has been the core concern of the Agency. Thus, over the period 1993-2016, more than 140 thousand applications for protection of various industrial property objects were filed with AGEPI. The number of industrial property objects that have obtained protection on the territory of the Republic of Moldova exceeded 130 thousand.
Over the past 25 years, AGEPI has paid special attention to the integration of the national intellectual property system into the regional and international system. Thanks to the support given to the field of intellectual property by the Government, the Parliament and the Presidency, the Republic of Moldova has joined the main international and regional organizations as well as 37 international treaties in the field, and AGEPI, as a national intellectual property office, has gained the well-deserved recognition and reputation, affirming itself as a trusted partner of the international community. With the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the provisions of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights have been transposed into the national legislation, national and foreign applicants and holders benefiting from the same rights in the field of protection of intellectual property objects.
In recent years, through its effort, AGEPI has contributed to the consolidation of cooperation relations with European organizations in the field of intellectual property. Thus, an event of major importance for the national patent system is the signing, in October 2013, of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the European Patent Organization on Validation of European Patents on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, which will increase the interest and confidence of foreign investors to enter our country’s market.
Also in 2017, the Memorandum of Cooperation between AGEPI and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which manages the rights associated with trademarks, industrial designs registered in the EU, was signed.
At present, AGEPI is among the few national intellectual property offices in the region that offer free online access to public information contained in intellectual property databases created and managed by the Agency.
In order to be as close as possible to the citizens and the business environment, AGEPI launched in 2014 the web application “Online filing of applications for registration of intellectual property objects”, which can also be accessed at www.e-servicii.agepi.gov.md.
Thanks to the Agency’s support, dozens of inventors from the Republic of Moldova have become known worldwide, being appointed laureates of the distinctions of the World Intellectual Property Organization. These include 32 winners of the WIPO Gold Medal for Inventors and 9 winners of the WIPO Gold Medal for Creativity.
After the institutional unification of the IP system, a priority for AGEPI became the domain of copyright. Strong efforts are being made to ensure that all legal instruments contained in the Law on Copyright and Related Rights operate so that the enforcement of these rights is no longer a problem for creative people and a burden to users.
A strategic objective for AGEPI is to educate the young generation in the spirit of respecting intellectual property rights. The aim is to make this area as familiar as possible, to familiarize children with the importance of intellectual property from the earliest age.
Particular attention is paid to continuous training: a distance learning platform – e-learning will be developed in the spirit of new trends, which will provide the opportunity for interested persons to study the field of intellectual property.
Also, among the objectives of AGEPI is the successful development and implementation by the year 2019 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, and Consumer Protection Agency.
Another purpose is the finalization of the legal processes related to the protection of geographical indications, especially the procedures for control and certification of products with GI, at the stage of their placement on the market.
To the 25th anniversary, AGEPI comes with beautiful achievements and ambitious goals, with the desire to remain at the service of the citizens and the business environment by offering quality services in line with international standards and to take all necessary measures to ensure the upward development of the national intellectual property system for the benefit of the country.
Video images from the Press Conference can be viewed here: https://www.privesc.eu/Arhiva/77715/Conferinta-de-presa-organizata-cu-oc ...
