Member Article

On 29 May 2014, INTELEKTIV 2014, an international conference on intellectual property was held in Zagreb. The event gathered leading intellectual property experts from Croatia and Europe to discuss their challenges in dealing with the protection of IP rights in business. Public officers, customs officers, state attorneys and SEE enforcement protection officers assembled to create an open platform for open dialogue.

The conference broached issues such as the capacity for IP job creation, key enforcement issues in South East Europe, IP in the entertainment industry and innovation and future activities. Development of new technological solutions and innovation, especially in IT, which cannot be protected under the classic IP protection modus in Croatia and Europe proved to be key discussion topics. The current legal framework, which emphasises the protection of originality in intellectual property rather than authenticity, needs to be amended. The practice identified the infringement of IP rights as another key issue, since the Croatian State Inspectorate, as the state authority for the protection of enforcement was dissolved. Finally, as one of the key factors for innovation development in Croatia, it is also necessary for the Croatian educational system to be amended, which should encourage the development of technical professions as innovative leaders.

 

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