INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE

The Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia (IPO) wishes to inform the public in Serbia that the April 26th is celebrated all over our planet as the World Intellectual Property Day, the day of all innovators and artists in the world. The World Intellectual Property Day (WIPO) established this holiday in 2001 with the aim to raise awareness on the growing role of intellectual property (IP) in everyday life and for the purpose of celebrating the contribution of inventors and artists to the general prosperity of humankind.

This year the World Intellectual Property Day is a triple jubilee. Apart from being the tenth one, its role this year is to mark the 40th anniversary of the World Intellectual Property Organization. This very important jubilee is also shared with the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia, which celebrates this year the 90th anniversary of its foundation. Apart from the jubilee, the great importance of the current year for intellectual property in Serbia is manifested in the finalization of two very important processes. In fact, the adoption of last law in the package of IP legislation is undergoing Parliamentary procedure in the framework of the process of harmonization with the EU legislation. This success is made possible due to the contribution of the expertise of the management and employees of the IPO who invested great efforts in the whole process. Apart from that, the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia has been invited to access to the European Patent Organization (EPO) and it has been planned that our country should be received as a full member of this Organization before the end of the current year. Thus, our country shall have a representative in the EPO who will be able to represent the interests of Serbia and participate in the policy making process in the EPO, in its working bodies and committees.

World Intellectual Property Day has a specific message this year “Innovations – Linking the World”. In this manner, the World Intellectual Property Organization shows to the entire world that the joint efforts in innovative enterprises can help us fight the existing economic crisis. By adjusting this invitation to the situation in our country, the IPO wishes to send a message too – that we must all join our forces in Serbia in order to increase the competitiveness of our economy by use of innovations. This year, our common goal is being contributed to by the Education and Information Centre, which has been established in the IPO, on the basis of a project financed by the EU and co-financed and implemented by the EPO. The Education and Information Centre, by providing training and information and the coordination of the national network of institutions engaged in intellectual property, strives to offer support to the Serbian economy, in particular in the field of market competition, based on IP and innovations in its essence.

Here you can read the message of Francis Gurry, Ph.D. the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization.