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N. 39, July - September 2008
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 | IP & RTD: Articles
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Projects of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech
Republic in the field of Enforcement of Intellectual Property
Rights
Jana Pavkova
Czech Patent and Trade Mark Office
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The purpose of this article is to provide information about two
projects managed by the Czech Patent and Trade Mark Office in recent years.
First, the project “Enforcement of
Intellectual Property Rights”, realised within the framework
of the programme Phare 2001 initiated by the Czech Government’s decree
No. 330 of 14th April 1999 to the Conception of the Fight against Crime in the
Field of Intellectual Property. The objective of the project was to create an
information system for access to basic information concerning protection of
intellectual property for institutions operating in this area and to ensure
education for employees of the state administration in the field of enforcement
of intellectual property rights.
The following entities participated in the project: Industrial
Property Office, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Finance, Ministry
of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Culture, Police of the Czech
Republic, General Directorate of Taxes, Czech Trade Inspection, Czech
Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority and collective administrators of
copyright within the scope of Ministry of Culture – OSA, DILIA and
INTERGRAM.
In June 2004, the new common information system was introduced at
the Internet address
www.dusevnivlastnictvi.cz.
The information system enables a quick and efficient exchange of information
among enforcing bodies in the area of intellectual property rights. Operation
of the information system is continuously carried out by the Industrial
Property Office. The abovementioned information system includes a number of
search databases: trade marks, patents and utility models, industrial designs,
Industrial Property Office decisions, Czech Trade Inspection notices, Czech
Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority decisions and databases of judicial
decisions (particular search screens are annexed).
After elaboration of the training methodology and training
programme texts for enforcement of intellectual property rights, the table of
contents of which is also annexed, the training itself was held during the
first half of 2004. The courses took place in six rounds in 11 groups of 50
people. At the beginning of the first course, participants received a textbook
written by Czech intellectual property experts. Overall, 557 employees of the
state administration were trained. Each participant received a graduate
certificate and a documentary describing the system of enforcement of
intellectual property rights in the Czech Republic.
Since the project met with great success and the number of staff
interested in being trained was twice as high as could be satisfied, a new
project “Support to the Enforcement of
Intellectual Property Rights“ was initiated by the office in
2005. The aim of this new project is to update an upgrade of the existing
information system
www.dusevnivlastnictvi.cz,
elaboration of a new methodology of enforcement of intellectual property rights
in the Czech Republic and methodology of co-operation among institutions of the
state administration that deal with intellectual property rights, creation of
training materials and training of more than 1,000 employees of these
institutions.
In July 2006, the contract with the winner of the international
tender for the “training“ part of the project was signed and then
the contractor and its expert team launched works on the preparation of
particular methodologies.
In summer 2006, the office successfully discussed with the Ministry
of Justice the possibility of incorporating the database of judicial decisions
in the field of IPR into the existing information system. The Ministry agreed
to provide such decisions in paper or electronic form. The part of the practice
of the courts that is not available in the electronic form will be scanned and
stored in the database.
From September to December 2007, a total of 1,042 staff members
from particular institutions were trained. The scope of the training course
included four whole-day training sessions each month in the groups of 50
participants. After the end of the training course, every participant received
a certificate, a collection of judicial decisions in the field of intellectual
property rights and DVD with a documentary on the system of enforcement of
intellectual property rights in the Czech Republic.
Aside from collective administrators of copyright, all the
ministries and offices that took part in the implementation of the previous
project participated in the project.
The project was finished by the end of 2007.
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