EU-Ukraine cooperation on Intellectual Property: EUIPO and UANIPIO forge new partnership

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the new Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that marks the beginning of a partnership to strengthen Ukraine’s Intellectual Property (IP) system and bolster its institutional capacity to the benefit of businesses and citizens in Ukraine and the EU.

The signature took place under the auspices of Ambassador Lotte Knudsen, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva and Ambassador Yevheniia Filipenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva

The agreement was signed in Geneva by Andrea Di Carlo, EUIPO Deputy Executive Director, and Olena Orliuk, UANIPIO Director, while attending the sixty-fourth series of meetings of the assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Office Member States (WIPO). The MoU’s primary focus is to strengthen EU cooperation with Ukraine in the field of intellectual property.

Additionally, in light of Ukraine’s status as an EU candidate country, the MoU also represents a significant milestone in its journey towards closer integration into the EU Single Market.

It builds upon a ground-breaking agreement reached earlier this year between the EU and Ukraine, allowing the latter to participate in the activities financed by the European Union under the Single Market Programme. The recent extension of the Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund to Ukrainian businesses, for instance, now provides Ukrainian businesses with increased access to funding, resources, and support, a decision recently adopted that is part of the multiannual contribution agreement between the European Commission and the EUIPO.

As Ambassador Lotte Knudsen said, “this MoU between the two IP Offices shows the strong and continuous support and commitment of the EU to Ukraine”.

“This Memorandum sets out areas of cooperation, build the grounds for new joint projects and the development of past work. But the most important aspect is that it clearly marks our European path of harmonization and partnership, and will bring benefits to our applicants and the whole IP system”, added Olena Orliuk, Head of IP office.

Fortifying IP Systems: a win-win partnership

From now on, the Ukrainian IP Office can benefit from management and examiner tools, harmonisation of trade mark and design registration and examination practices, as well as staff training opportunities, and cooperation.

The MoU also includes enforcement-related activities, such as the mutual exchange of information on IP economic-related studies, enforcement or anti-scam. In addition, it paves the way for the integration of Ukraine’s trade mark and design data within the EUIPO’s trade mark and design databases, including TMview, Tmclass, DesignView, and Designclass.

“Harmonisation with EU rules is expected to enhance foreign investment opportunities and facilitate the internationalisation of local businesses in Ukraine. These efforts will also play a pivotal role in upgrading Ukraine’s trade mark and design system and ultimately help its integration into the EU,” said Mr. Di Carlo.

Expanding collaborative horizons for IP advancement

The MoU is part of a long-standing EU-Ukraine collaboration on Intellectual Property. Since 2022, the EUIPO took measures to provide its fullest support to Ukrainian customers and to safeguard their IP rights while continuing the technical work and cooperation with Ukrainian IP authorities.

In addition, the MoU contributes to the EU’s broader efforts to deepen the integration of the UANIPIO into the EU’s IP systems. Discussions are underway for an international IP cooperation project at the regional level, involving Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

ABOUT THE EUIPO

The EUIPO is one of the largest decentralised agencies of the EU, based in Alicante, Spain. Ranked as the most innovative intellectual property office in the world in 2021, the EUIPO manages the registration of the European Union trade mark (EUTM) and the registered Community design (RCD), both of which provide intellectual property protection in all EU Member States. It also carries out cooperation activities with the national and regional intellectual property offices of the EU and hosts the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights.