On September 10 this year, an online seminar on intellectual property issues was held for Latvian and European judges, employees of the judicial system as well as professionals in the field of intellectual property, bringing together more than 1200 people.
"Adapting to the current challenges in Latvia and in the world under the influence of COVID-19, we are increasingly using new ways to inform the public about intellectual property issues," noted with satisfaction Director of the Latvian Patent Office Sandris Laganovskis. “Training in intellectual property issues for judges and other employees of the judicial system was launched by the Latvian Patent Office in 2016, and this year, for the fifth time in a row, the initiative was expanded at the regional level, providing the opportunity to obtain in-depth knowledge of current law enforcement issues not only in Latvia but also in Europe.”
The training was organized in close cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) with the aim of providing high-quality training and professional development for judicial staff, with a special focus on the topic of intellectual property protection, which could further improve the quality of court judgments and prepare staff for qualitative work in the EU legal system.
In the first part of the seminar, Judge of the German Federal Court of Justice Dr. iur. Klaus Grabinski explored the issue of evidence in patent litigation and the burden of proof. Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw and Patent Attorney Łukasz Żelechowski shared his experience on the protection of unregistered distinctive signs within unfair competition law. In the second part of the seminar, WIPO Classifications Officer Helen Whittingham informed about the development and future goals of the Nice Classification, paying special attention to the plans aimed at improving classification practices. Senior Judge of the Court of The Hague Edger Brinkman explained the topic of technical exceptions for designs and trademarks in intellectual property cases.
In the last part of the seminar, Director of the WIPO Institute of Justice Eun-Joo Min spoke about the issues related to fostering judicial dialogue in intellectual property adjudication. EUIPO IP Enforcement Expert Erling Vestergaard addressed the issue of intellectual property protection and enforcement in light of fundamental rights. Legal Research Counsel of the Supreme Court of Latvia Dr. iur. Rihards Gulbis informed about the upcoming amendments to Latvian copyright framework and their impact on litigations of copyright disputes.
The online regional seminar was closed by Prof. Dr. iur. Alexander von Mühlendahl, a long-term participant of training seminars for Latvian judges, Attorney-at-Law at BARDEHLE PAGENBERG, one of the largest European IP law firms, who reviewed the recent case law of the General Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Taking into account the interest and high appreciation expressed by the audience of the seminar, the Patent Office, in close cooperation with the leading institutions in the field of intellectual property, plans to continue with the initiative of training judges and judicial staff in intellectual property issues.
Seminar record is avialable here: