The meeting of representatives of the National IP Office of Ukraine and the management of the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) took place on October 23, 2023, in Kyiv.
Among the priorities of the meeting was the determination of short-term priorities necessary for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
The program, the purpose of which is to bring the field of intellectual property law of candidate countries closer to EU standards, is designed for 4 years and has a budget of 4 million euros.
“We will have several initiatives in this area, which relate to the approximation of Ukrainian legislation to European legislation. These are initiatives related to the modernization of the intellectual property ecosystem with new tools and new approaches. Also, initiatives related to education and training, for example, of Ukrainian judges in the field of IP,” said Executive director of EUIPO João Negrão.
In particular, the SME Fund program has already been expanded to include small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine. And already 50 Ukrainian entrepreneurs have applied for such compensation in the IP sphere. EUIPO plans to provide greater support to Ukrainian businesses when they need to protect their IP rights in Ukraine, in the EU, and on global markets.
The work plan for 2024-2025 will allow UKRNOIVI to benefit from EU support in areas related to the management of intellectual property rights: tools for examination purposes, support in harmonizing the practice of registration and examination of applications for trademarks and industrial designs with EU practice, opportunities for training personnel and cooperation.