On Monday, 19 September, representatives of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) visited the Latvian Patent Office (LPO) to discuss the collaboration efficiency indicators, current projects and future cooperation.
During the visit, the EUIPO representatives were informed about LPO’s progress in development of the current European cooperation projects. An essential part of the cooperation projects was the improvement of IT systems, making them more customer-friendly, as well as more convenient and efficient for use by LPO experts.
Based on the LPO’s role and interests in the national and international contexts, the institution's priorities for the coming years were outlined and the opportunities for even closer cooperation were discussed, thus significantly promoting the protection of intellectual property in Latvia. Taking into account the current situation with the rapid flow of big volumes of data, safe and convenient information exchange was highlighted as one of the main priorities, focusing on the widest possible range of target groups. Such an approach is in line with the LPO’s progress towards providing an easy and quick access to information on a single platform.
The performance indicators for the activities aimed at raising public awareness and encouraging public participation in the events carried out by LPO in cooperation with the EUIPO during this year were also analysed. Among the most significant activities, mention can be made of The Trademark of the Year 2021 competition, Fake Reality public information campaign, publicity activities under the The Ideas Powered for business SME Fund, seminars for experts in specific areas, and a currently ongoing Creative Intellectual competition for students.
In the second part of the meeting, the EUIPO representatives outlined the progress in the implementation of the projects in comparison with other European national institutions, as well as analysed the key performance indicators of the LPO. The opportunities for future cooperation were also outlined, including the aforementioned improvements in IT solutions and information availability. The interaction between the virtual world and intellectual property will also play an important role by expanding and integrating the intellectual property registration system in the Blockchain network.
The EUIPO delegation was represented in person by Sandris Laganovskis, Director of the Institutional and Cooperation Department, Olivier Galaup from the European Cooperation Service, and Juris Deduskevics, Deployed Project Manager. Country Coordinator Aleksandr Maksimenkov, and representatives of the European Cooperation Service Kristina Vilkiene and Rossana Cheri attended the meeting remotely.
Active cooperation with the EUIPO is considered one of the most important priorities of the LPO ensuring continuous improvement of the services provided by the institution.
The EUIPO is responsible for managing the EU trade mark and the registered Community design. They also work with the IP offices of the EU Member States and international partners to offer a similar registration experience for trade marks and designs across Europe and the world.