Lawyer: Intellectual property in Ukraine is not protected due to poverty

The Council for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights established under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine should work in the interests of Ukrainian producers and consumers, and not defend the interests of international companies.

This was reported by the coordinator of the "Mutual Aid" movement, lawyer Viktor Medvid in a comment to a GolosUA correspondent.

"In Ukraine, in most cases, when it comes to protecting intellectual property, it is primarily about protecting the interests of international corporations. Whereas in Ukraine, both the population and companies are poor, and no one has the ability to pay in full for the right to use a particular product," the expert emphasized.

Therefore, from the point of view of a lawyer, the right decision would be to create a certain temporary transition full payment for intellectual property products. Since almost any computer, including those used by government agencies, does not have all the necessary licenses for the software installed there.

"If you take, for example, a small printing company that produces business cards, the use of programs such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator can cost more than the entire business, including the real estate where the printing house is located," Medved illustrated the situation with infringement of intellectual property rights.

He also noted that we should not forget about the Internet content market - listening to music, watching videos, etc., because in Ukraine 99.9% of the population infringes copyrights and does not pay for the product they consume.

"Therefore, this problem is really acute, as some people do not have the money to pay for the product they consume, and others do not have the money to enforce intellectual property rights in practice due to the high cost of these products," the expert noted.

Mr. Medved also expressed his approval of these legislative initiatives of the government, as well as his wish that such a body as the Council on Intellectual Property Rights should work not in favor of international companies, but primarily in favor of Ukrainian consumers and producers.

"Because it is the latter who are the least protected. Not only are their rights violated both in Ukraine and abroad, ignore the types of protection available in Ukraine. But at the same time, international companies are seeking to ensure that their property is protected in Ukraine," the expert summarized.

As a reminder, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided to establish the Council on Intellectual Property at its meeting on February 7.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Council will coordinate the functioning and development of the system of legal protection of intellectual property in Ukraine.

It is planned to act as a temporary advisory body to the Cabinet of Ministers. The Council will be headed by First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv.

coordination of interaction between executive authorities in the field of intellectual property;

identifying ways and mechanisms for resolving problematic issues arising in the course of formulation and implementation of the state policy in the field of intellectual property;

development of proposals in the field of intellectual property, in particular, on the development of this area, ensuring Ukraine's integration into the international and European intellectual space, taking into account national interests, development and reform of the state system of legal protection of intellectual property, etc.

The Council will consist of 30 members, including heads of central executive agencies, law enforcement agencies, representatives of the legislative and judicial branches, heads of enterprises and public organizations.

Earlier, at the end of September 2017, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed Decree No. 299 "On the Establishment of the High Court of Intellectual Property".