In Focus (#4 April 2020)

Pressing Times

Reform of intellectual property rights protection in Ukraine and its enforcement has been fairly sluggish. Western countries, including the US, have been pressing Ukraine for years. The recent report by the European Commission states that despite the major regulatory approximation that Ukraine committed itself to in the Association Agreement, which came into force in 2016, only limited progress has been seen in the last two years. According to research, Ukraine still has a long way to go in fighting the situation with dishonest registration of trademarks, counterfeiting and online piracy. Regulatory data protection and the efficiency of Customs also have to be improved. Recent law-making activities in the IP field provoked hot debate among stakeholders. Our cover story hero Victoria Sopilnyak, a partner of IP agency Doubinsky & Osharova, explained the possible outcomes of legislatively proposed restrictive patentability criteria in Ukraine.
It goes without saying that the top issue of the last month is the drastic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. As we adjust to our new realities of staying at home and social distancing, many IP owners try to demonstrate their responsiveness and leadership role in order to get at least reputational benefits in these pressing times. Many museums, galleries, libraries and educational platforms provide free access to their expositions and contents. Some governments have introduced new measures in response to the outbreak, including even permitting patent infringement for COVID-19 treatment.

Stay at home and stay healthy!

 

Happy reading,
Olga Usenko

 

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