Chamber News (#06 June 2016)

Focus on intellectual property rights

World Intellectual Property Day, celebrated globally on 26 April, was a great occasion to once again highlight and learn about the important the role that intellectual property rights (IPR) play in developing business.

The lack of enforcement of IPR legislation in Ukraine has resulted in widespread Internet piracy. Proper anti-piracy legislation that meets Ukraine’s international obligations as well as timely identification and neutralization of IPR violations will help to effectively address this problem. Implementation of Ukraine’s Strategy for Cybersecurity should involve transparent procurement of software — only with legal software can we avoid security risks that may lead to data leakage and financial losses.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine has 12 Committees and 19 Working Groups working actively on resolving industry-specific and cross-sector problems of the Ukrainian economy. Our IPR Working Group is headed by Oleksandr Mamunya, partner at AEQUO law firm, and led strategically by Nadiia Vasylieva, member of the Chamber Board of Directors, general manager at Microsoft Ukraine. The Working Group focuses on strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights, identification of violations in the respective field, through the study and analysis of existing IPR legislation followed by development of respective Chamber proposals and comments based on international best practices. Although IPR violation is a cross-sector issue that has a negative impact on the Ukrainian economy at large, companies in IT, agricultural, seeds and healthcare sectors suffer the most.

Counterfeit goods pose a real threat to Ukraine’s future prosperity and economic growth. The widespread trade of forged products (especially dangerous pharmaceuticals and chemicals) is dangerous for human health, the environment and the country’s overall image. By improving IPR legislation, ensuring proper implementation and by uniting the efforts of key state bodies will we create a stable, effective and predictable system of IPR protection.

The Ukrainian Government, together with the business community and civil society, should unite efforts in combating corruption in Ukraine. The “Three Ps” approach (Prevent, Publicize and Punish) may prove effective in rooting out this social evil. Concrete actions towards preventing corruption in the sphere of IPR protection may include increasing the salaries of civil servants, reducing bureaucracy, introducing smart technology where needed, leveling the playing field in the sphere of IPR and strengthening the investigative capacity of key anti-corruption bodies.

 

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