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CIS countries and Mongolia
Background
The EPO’s industrial property project for the Commonwealth of Independent States and Mongolia was launched in the early 1990s and includes regular bilateral and multilateral activities funded by the EPO. EC-funded projects are also carried out from time to time.
The territory involved stretches from the borders of the European Union to the easternmost point of the Asian continent and comprises 13 countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan), each served by a national intellectual or industrial property office. The project also covers the regional Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO), based in Moscow, which acts on behalf of 9 of the 13 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Objective
The general aim of the project is to support and assist the establishment, development and use of industrial property structures and systems in the countries concerned.
This is achieved by:
- helping national offices to promote awareness of IP, its uses and its value to small and medium-sized enterprises;
- supporting the development of staff skills at IP offices and keeping the offices up to date with changes in the patent field;
- providing advice, expertise and funding for the development of an infrastructure at IP offices;
- sharing information on European judicial and enforcement procedures and supporting national offices and courts in the handling of IP cases;
- fostering interstate and intraregional co-operation to promote the sharing of experience and results within the region;
- assisting IP offices in the maintenance and development of IP documentation;
- aiding and advising national offices in developing a strategy for the support and promotion of innovation at the national level, including the exploitation of IP rights, in accordance with each country's level of economic development and industrial activity;
- encouraging and supporting the widespread availability of published IP information.
Activities
Activities under the project cover a wide range of patent-related sectors and are intended:
- to reflect each country’s needs;
- to reflect its current level of development, both generally and specifically relating to IP; and
- to take into account its perceived potential.
Actions vary according to specific aims and include workshops, local training, study visits, discussion fora, experts’ advice and seminars.
Co-operation partners
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a steadfast partner for the EPO in its co-operation with the CIS and Mongolia. In addition to the WIPO, the EPO works with many experts, offices and institutions on a case-by-case basis. Over the past few years these institutions have included:
Patent Offices of United Kingdom (UKPTO), France (INPI), Czech Republic, Turkey (TPI) and Germany (DPA), German Federal Patent Court (BPG), , Max Planck Institute, Bavarian Parliament, Fraunhofer Institute, Society of Music Authors, Composers and Publishers (SACEM) and OECD.
Contacts
Nina Formby
Project Leader
Tel. + 49 89 2399 5214
Fax +49 89 2399 5257
nformby@epo.org
Danuta Lilienthal
Project Assistant
Tel. + 49 89 2399 5131
Fax +49 89 2399 5257
dlilienthal@epo.org