Protection of Intellectual Property Rights: WIPO launches training for members of the Ukrainian judiciary

Despite the aggressive war of the russian federation against Ukraine and active hostilities, judges continue to administer justice and improve their skills to ensure the quality of judicial proceedings. This was stated by Ihor Benedysiuk, Judge and Secretary of the Judicial Chamber on Cases on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and Cases Related with Anti-Monopoly and Competition Legislation of the Commercial Cassation Court of the Supreme Court, during a seminar on intellectual property litigation for representatives of the Ukrainian judiciary.

According to the Secretary of the specialized chamber of the SC Commercial Cassation Court, this event is the result of close cooperation of the Supreme Court with the World Intellectual Property Organization and the WIPO Judicial Institute.

"The path to European integration that Ukraine has chosen is not a privilege, but hard work. At the same time, we need to maintain the appropriate professional level of judges to protect not only Ukrainian citizens but also foreign investors. The assistance of international partners is important for the reconstruction of our country after the Victory," said Ihor Benedysiuk.

Habip Asan, Director of the Division for Transition and Developed Countries, WIPO Development Cooperation Department, noted that strong cooperation with Ukraine is supported by relevant activities and projects. In addition, the signing of Memoranda of Understanding with both the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine provide a solid basis for further work on the effective implementation of the WIPO Assembly decision on assistance and support to the Ukrainian IP, innovation and creativity ecosystem. According to the speaker, one of the most important events in Ukraine is the development of the National IP Development Strategy for the period 2025-2030, which will serve as a roadmap for the country's development, stimulating economic growth and promoting technological progress. At the same time, WIPO is supporting Ukraine in all stages of the process, from development to successful implementation.  

Habip Asan concluded his speech by stressing that, despite the challenges, the judges of the Supreme Court continue to work actively to strengthen close cooperation with WIPO through the implementation of relevant initiatives.

In the first part of the training, the participants listened to an interesting presentation by Eun Joo Min, Director of the WIPO Judicial Institute, on the interaction between WIPO and the judiciary in terms of information exchange, training programmes and resources available for their activities.

Ty Gray, Head of the WIPO Lex Division of the WIPO Judicial Institute, gave a detailed presentation on the principles of operation and functionality of the WIPO Judgments Database. He also noted that under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Supreme Court and WIPO, the most significant IP judgments have already been integrated into the international WIPO Lex-Judgments Database, which opens up new opportunities and prospects for further development for Ukraine, particularly in the IP field.

The event was attended by the judges of the Judicial Chamber on Cases on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and Cases Related with Anti-Monopoly and Competition Legislation of the Commercial Cassation Court of the Supreme Court Iryna Bulhakova, Tetiana Malashenkova, Iryna Kolos, Anatolii Yemets, Tetiana Zhaivoronok, Head of the Department Providing Operations Support to the Chamber Oleksii Ivanov, Head of the Division for International Cooperation of the Supreme Court Lina Hubar, judges of local and appellate commercial courts, and employees of the Supreme Court Staff.