Serbia Adopts National IP Strategy 2011-2015

The Serbian government has recently adopted the national intellectual property strategy for the 2011-2015 period.

The strategy defines the objectives to be reached during this period, the most important of which are to:

• Determine the degree of compliance of local legislation with the Directive 2004/48/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 29 April 2004 on the enforcement of intellectual property rights

• Determine the degree of compliance of the Law on Geographical Indications with the Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 of 20 March 2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs and perform the necessary amendments

• Take the appropriate organizational and technical measures for digitization of all IPO documentation on the requested and granted intellectual property rights

• Take the appropriate organizational and technical measures to introduce the electronic application system at the IPO for the grant of industrial property rights

• Improve the system of protection of geographical indications for wines

• Create a permanent coordinating body for cooperation among the police, inspections, customs authorities and tax administration

• Develop the program of mutual cooperation among the police, customs, inspections, state broadcasting agencies, courts, prosecutors and the IPO

• Provide funding for the system of protection of geographical indications and traditional specialties

For more information, please contact Jelena Jankovic at our Balkan Regional Office.

Source: Serbian IPO; text of the strategy