On the anniversary of the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Latvia, the long-time, now retired, employee of the Latvian Patent Office (LPO) Jānis Ancītis was presented with one of the highest Latvian State awards - the Cross of Recognition.
According to the decision of the Chapter of Orders of April 10, 2024, Jānis Ancītis was awarded the distinguished award for meritorious service on behalf of Latvia.
The Cross of Recognition is bestowed for outstanding love of the Fatherland and for outstanding merits in national affairs, public work, culture, science, sports, and education. Loyal and faithful service to the State or a local government, exemplary and honest performance of work, any public services, and the development of the spirit of the people and their ability to do work and the strength of an economic nature are considered merits.
Jānis Ancītis graduated from the Janis Rozentals Art School and the Department of Design of the Art Academy of Latvia, and he is a member of the Latvian Designers’ Society.
From the very first days of the restoration of the LPO’s operation in 1992, J. Ancītis was involved in the activities aimed at the establishment of an institution for the registration of inventions, trademarks and designs. Immediately after the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Latvia, no one had the knowledge and experience of how to set up an institution for the protection of industrial property and how to ensure its effective functioning, so J. Ancītis considered it necessary to create the one that would best meet the specifics of Latvia.
Based on the knowledge gained through self-study, J. Ancītis developed the first laws for the protection of trademarks and industrial designs in the restored Latvia - the Law on Trade Marks (entered into force on 07.04.1993) and the Law on the Protection of Designs (entered into force on 10.06.1993). The laws met the requirements of the time and were successfully applied until Latvia’s accession to the European Union. The next two draft laws for the protection of trademarks, as well as the draft of the current Design Law, were also developed by him.
In addition to fulfilling his duties as the Director of the Department of Trademarks and Designs, and later as the LPO’s scientific consultant, Jānis Ancītis was also actively engaged in the work of the LPO’s Board of Appeal (BoA), both as a member and the chairman of compositions for the examination of cases. He handled countless disputes related to intellectual property (IP) protection, both between entrepreneurs and between trademark applicants and the LPO. This work has been a significant contribution to the development of the BoA’s practice, and patent attorneys and rights owners are still guided by it when evaluating the possible outcomes of examination of potential and real dispute situations. While working at the LPO, Jānis Ancītis contributed a lot to raising IP awareness among the general public and to educating future professionals. He worked in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications for many years.
We warmly congratulate J. Ancītis on receiving the highest state award.