EU and Ukraine enhance cooperation on Intellectual Property

Geneva: On 5 July the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the new Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Geneva that marks the beginning of a partnership aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s Intellectual Property (IP) system.

From now on the Ukrainian IP Office can benefit from management and examiner tools, harmonisation of trade mark and design registration and examination practices, as well as staff training opportunities and cooperation.

The MoU also includes enforcement-related activities, such as the mutual exchange of information on IP economic-related studies, enforcement or anti-scam.

“Harmonisation with EU rules is expected to enhance foreign investment opportunities and facilitate the internationalisation of local businesses in Ukraine. These efforts will also play a pivotal role in upgrading Ukraine’s trade mark and design system and ultimately help its integration into the EU,” said Andrea Di Carlo, EUIPO Deputy Executive Director.

In light of Ukraine’s status as a candidate country for EU membership, the MoU will also contribute to the country’s closer integration into the EU single market.

The SME Foundation Ideas Powered for business, a grant scheme designed to help EU small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their intellectual property (IP) rights, has been recently extended to Ukrainian SMEs.