Two representatives of the Intellectual Property Agency "Berin", prof. Dr. Gjorgji Filipov and Ivona Sekulovska, MA, participated in the 39th Аnnual Цonference of the European Community Trademark Association (ECTA) held in Vienna (Austria) from 21-22 October 2021.
On the first day of the conference, 21.10.21, sessions of the various ECTA committees were held: Advisory; Against abuse; Copyrights; Data protection; Design; Geographical indications; Synchronization; International trade; Internet; Right; Professional issues; Supervisory Board; Membership and discipline; Programs; Publications; WIPO and the Committee of Leaders. Previously scheduled meetings of business partners from the EU, candidate countries, as well as ECTA associate members from various non-EU countries were held in separate rooms of the Hilton Park Hotel. In the evening, the organizer organized a cocktail party for all participants, which was used to establish the first contacts "live" after almost two years of online communication.
The plenary session started on 22.10.21, at which Anette Rasumussen, ECTA President, Mladen Vukmir, Vice President, Andrea Scheichl and three local representatives, trademark and patent attorneys from the Sonn company spoke. Daren Dang, DG WIPO also addressed the conference via video link. Kamil Kiljanski from the European Commission and Andrea Di Carlo, Vice President, spoke at the IP News and Trends session, moderated by Carina Gommers. Director of the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). At the session on brand ethics, goodwill and reputation, chaired by Carolin Kind, Prof. Dr. Giorgio Spedicato, from the University of Bologna, as well as Mojca Pesendorfer from Slovenia and Poonam Majithia, an intellectual property advisor from UEFA. The Conflict of Interest session was moderated by Lamberth Pechan and addressed by representatives from Germany, France, Italy and the United States. Representatives from the United States, Sweden and Spain spoke at the roundtable on customer acquisition and online networks, moderated by Lauren Somers. The session on wine stamps, marketing and geographical indications, especially important for the two Macedonian participants, led by Boris Osgnach from Italy, was addressed by Francis Fay, Head of the Geographical Indications Department of the European Commission, Carola Onken, Germany, Ivan Ćuk from Croatia and Maria Obermayer from Austria. The final part of the working day, which was related to the update of intellectual property cases in the European Union, moderated by Benjamin Fontaine, was addressed by Dimitris Botis, Director of Legal Affairs at EUIPO, Sven Stürmann, Chairman of the Second Court of Appeal and Accredited Mediator of EUIPO, Andrea Ringle, as well as Maria José Costeira, Judge of the EU General Court in Luxembourg. The gala dinner, at the same time a real opportunity for informal meetings and exchange of views on various issues between the participants was held at the Museum of Applied Arts of Austria, founded in 1863 by Emperor Franz Josef I.
During the conference, the Macedonian delegation had several meetings, but especially important were the meetings with ECTA President Anette Rasumussen, Vice Presidents Vukmir and Gommers, EUIPO Legal Director Dimitris Botis, Geographical Indications Moderator Osgnach and Professor Spedicato. But the most interesting was the meeting with Ms. Majithia (Magdia), Legal Advisor for Intellectual Property of UEFA, to whom we thanked for the proper procedure of this European football organization for the legally correct position regarding the jerseys of the Macedonian football players and the insignia of the country. (MK and MKD) during the last European Football Championship.
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