The third meeting of the Expert Level Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights was held on December 16, in Chisinau, facilitated by the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the Department of Commerce of the United States of America in cooperation with the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI).

The goal of this Working Group is to identify mutual challenges for the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) and develop recommendations for regional cooperation between the countries of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. By promoting greater harmonization and cooperation in the region, it aims to improve regional efficiency in the use of intellectual property and develop its commercialization in accordance with international standards.

The current meeting was attended by delegates from Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The delegation of the Republic of Moldova included representatives of AGEPI, the National Investigation Inspectorate of the GIP, the State Inspectorate for Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection, as well as the Customs Service.

In the opening of the event, the Director General of AGEPI, Eugeniu Rusu mentioned that: “The Republic of Moldova is proud to be the host of this meeting, thus marking an important moment in the consolidation of our regional cooperation. Our common objective is to identify challenges and opportunities in the field of intellectual property rights enforcement in our countries. We are here to understand, cooperate and develop recommendations to support effective regional cooperation. In an increasingly interconnected world, regional IP cooperation is becoming increasingly essential. By sharing information, best practices and developing common standards, we can create an environment conducive to innovation and sustainable economic development.”

The current edition of the meeting focused on shared challenges in identifying and targeting counterfeit goods at borders in the hopes of developing common solutions. During the meeting, international experts presented best practices in customs’ enforcement of intellectual property rights, effective strategies in private sector engagement on intellectual property rights, and regional challenges in counterfeiting of goods in key sectors.

The discussions within the Working Group were moderated by CLDP experts, as a result of which it was decided to continue the efforts to identify optimal solutions for improving regional cooperation on the dimension of intellectual property.

We remind you that the Expert Level Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights was established in Batumi, Georgia, on July 27, 2022, and the countries initially invited to form the Working Group are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.