Ukraine signs legislation to deliver long-awaited national IP office
Ukraine has unveiled a national IP office, following criticism from the EU over its failure to step up efforts to align its laws with the EU norms.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed law No. 703-IX (bill No. 2255) to create a national intellectual property office.
Last year, Ukraine established a specialised IP court but also faced criticisms from the EU over its slow implementation of Ukraine’s commitments in its 2016 Association Agreement with the EU.
The EU said that particular areas of concern included copyright, trademarks, patents and enforcement and urged Ukraine to accelerate the creation of the required institutions to manage IP rights and to successfully battle counterfeiting and piracy within the country.
Dmytro Romanovych, Deputy Minister for the Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine, said in a social media post on Friday, July 10: “The bill will allow the institutional reform of intellectual property bodies….we will create a National Intellectual Property Authority. Thank you to everyone who has moved this [forward over] many years and especially on the last sprint.”
In 2019, Ukraine committed to bring its IP laws in compliance with EU law and to better align the country’s customs legislation to the standards of the EU.The key sectors in Ukraine requiring particular IP attention are pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals, software, consumer electronics and the music and film industries.
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