Education Vital For Advancement of Intellectual Property Rights

Divčibare, October 28-29, 2009 - Participants of a two-day conference on intellectual property rights, organized by AmCham Serbia, have agreed that a clear political consensus at all levels is necessary for the protection of rights in this area, as well as advancement of cooperation among state bodies in regard to the implementation of the existing regulations. "In addition to raising awareness related to damaging effects of piracy on the economy and potential risks of using counterfeited goods (such a medicines, toys, cigarettes, etc.) for the population, it is crucial to improve cooperation between right owners and the state bodies, and organize continuous education of all links in a chain of the engaged on intellectual property rights, particularly bearing in mind the strong growth of information technologies as transmission channels," said the President of the Intellectual Property Rights Committee at American Chamber of Commerce, Vuk Pribić, upon presenting the conference conclusions.

The two-day regional conference on intellectual property rights was organized on October 28-29, and included participants from the private and public sectors of Serbia and the region. A special guest of the conference was Matthew Lamberti, Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordinator for Eastern Europe of the US Department of Justice, who presented a comparative analysis of intellectual property rights in our region. The significance of this area for the progress of Serbia was also highlighted by Troy Pederson, Acting Deputy of the Head of Mission in the US Embassy, and Adriano Martins, Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Commission in Serbia. (Click here for photo gallery)

Proposals on improving intellectual property rights from the conference were submitted to the responsible bodies. "In addition to the introduction of the Law on Optical Disks, which would complete a legal framework for intellectual property rights in Serbia, it is necessary to implement a stricter penalty policy, and announce results of the responsible bodies in this area, in order to improve opportunities for general prevention of potential breach of the Law," said Pribić, upon presenting conclusions from the two-day conference.

According to a study conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC), software piracy resulted in losses of USD99 million for the Serbian economy in 2008. Inconsistency of the state in implementing the laws on property rights, including intellectual ones, represents a huge obstacle for foreign investors, particularly those from the innovative sectors, in reaching decisions on investing in Serbia. Therefore, the Intellectual Property Rights Committee of American Chamber of Commerce is of an opinion that efficient implementation of the existing laws on intellectual property rights is a key prerequisite for attracting further foreign investments in the sectors which are generators of economic growth.