03 | 11 | 2011

Meeting of the extended Visegrad Group of states, Bled, 18 to 19 October 2011

The autumn meeting of the extended Visegrad Group of states in the field of intellectual property was held in Bled from 18 to 19 October 2011, attended by Mr. Topić director general of the State Intellectual Property Office and Mrs. Kuterovac deputy to director general.

The enxtended  Visegrad Group of states in the field of intellectual property as an informal initiative are composed of Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary as the countries of the so called Visegrad Group and Austria, Slovenia and Croatia as the enlargement countries. The Office representatives have regularly attended the meetings of this initiative as a place where the national intellectual property offices share information and coordinate standpoints concerning the relevant issues of mutual interest.

At the Bled meeting the standpoints were exchanged concerning the current issues relating to the development of intellectual property system in the European Union, (primarily the future community patent and a common patent judiciary), development of the current initiatives of OHIM (strategic plan, taking over the operation of the EU observation post of counterfeiting and piracy, the convergence programmes, the Cooperation fund, the establishing of Intellectual Property Academy) the financing of international organisations in the field of intellectual property, and the representation of experts from the Central European and East European countries in the mentioned organisations. Information on individual national projects and events of a potential mutual interest were shared as well.

The status of the common service in the area of trademark data CETMOS was elaborated at this meeting as well. As the outcome of this meeting the mentioned service is to be redefined and launched in a new format in the course of the year 2012.