Intellectual property protected

Central exhibition center Expocentre has gathered intellectual resources of Russia. The fourth International Forum on intellectual property Expopriority-2012 finished on November 30. The main subject of the forum was connected with Russia's accession to the WTO. The event represented the country's intellectual potential and the ways to protect the country in new conditions.

More than two thousands domestic and foreign creators of innovation, patent specialists, representatives of academic and business communities, leading Russian universities, government officials, experts, international organizations gathered for the forum.

The forum was organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Russia and Expocentre. The even was supported by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly and the Federal Service for Intellectual Property of the Russian Federation. A number of international organizations took an active participation in the project.

On November 29, Expocentre held an international conference on "Intellectual Property and Foreign Trade: Prospects, Risks and Opportunities" within the scope of the Fourth International Congress on Intellectual Property. The conference was organized by the international network of law firms Customs & Corporate Lawyers.

The head of the Russian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce of the World Business Organization, Tatiana Monaghan, pointed out the need to protect intellectual property, especially at the time when Russia is entering new markets and new conditions.

"For a long time, intellectual property issues were technical in nature, so now they hold a firm place in the political life of the world. There is a number of prerequisites for that. Authorities have to find a delicate balance between the interests of innovators and users so that intellectual property issues would be positive for the society as a whole. This direction is of great importance in economies and in trade relations. Their connection can be seen in the WTO rules."

The participants of the conference were deciding how to protect intellectual property. Administrative methods alone are not enough at this point. "According to statistics, in our country there are about 1.800,000 companies. It is impossible to check each of them. Moreover, intellectual property is private property. In order to initiate this check-up, one needs to at least have a written statement from the author of an invention," deputy chairman of the Russian Chamber of Commerce for Intellectual Property Boris Leontiev said.

Leontiev also pointed out the scientific and applied nature of the conference and the importance of the voiced comments and suggestions for further improvement of legislation in the sphere of defense and protection of intellectual property.

Law firms included in the affiliate network Customs & Corporate Lawyers and their clients - both Russian and foreign companies - took part in the discussion. Specialists and experts in the field of intellectual property and foreign trade, representatives of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federal Customs Service, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, business associations and patent specialists were among the participants of the discussion.

The agenda also included the issues relating to the protection of trademarks and intellectual property rights by customs authorities, as well as the issues of legal regulation of know-how in the Russian legislation, etc.

Expopriority is the largest forum in Eastern Europe. Russia annually hosts approximately 40 events on innovative topics. Expopriority is primarily focused on the development of mechanisms to support and protect the creators of intellectual property.

"The goal of the forum, first of all, is to show our manufacturers, our inventors, and secondly, to find customers for products, services, productions and technologies displayed at the exhibition. Thirdly, those who must support inventors, introduce products into production, promote inventions and technologies, attended the exhibition for the first time," the President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Russian Federation, Sergey Katyrin, said.

According to him, the exhibition presented all categories of participants. The consulting center was organized at this year's exhibition especially well, the official said. "Here you can learn something, communicate and figure out what to do from the moment when ideas emerge to the stage of industrial production. I think that's an interesting idea, and most importantly, it works," said Katyrin.

Another benefit of Expopriority-2012 was the presence of small businesses - those who started original production and wanted to have their developments noticed. Expopriority-2012 gives them a chance to find the necessary support.

The head of the Chamber of Commerce, Sergey Katyrin, gave young entrepreneurs a few tips on how to protect intellectual property rights.

The international exhibition of innovative products and technologies brought together more than 150 participants this year - manufacturers and developers: companies, design institutes, universities, research centers, universities, and institutions supporting infrastructure and promoting innovation - investment and venture funds, startups, technology parks. The participants of Expopriority-2012 praised its practical value for the creators of innovation and for the formation of an effective system of protection of intellectual property in our country.