 |
 |
The year 2003 will remain a remarkable period in Lithuania's history for Lithuania's determination to join the European Union - on 11 May 2003, 70 % of Lithuanian citizens said YES to Lithuania's membership in the European Union. Lithuania's decision will be implemented on 1 May 2004, when Lithuania becomes a fully-fledged Member State of the European Union and, together with other states, will have a considerable say in solving the issues of intellectual property protection in the extremely rapidly developing contemporary world.
On 16 April 2003, in Athens Lithuania as well as other states signed the historic Treaty between the Kingdom of Belgium, Kingdom of Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the French Republic, Ireland, the Italian Republic, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Austria, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Member States of the European Union) and the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic concerning the Accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic to the European Union (Accession Treaty).
The constituent of the Accession Treaty is Annex II List referred to in Article 20 of the Act of Accession. Company Law. Industrial Property Rights of the adaptations of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic and the adjustments to the Treaties on which the European Union is founded. The annex lays down special provisions for the enforcement of industrial property rights when Lithuania accedes to the European Union. The provisions established during the EU accession negotiations are related to the special provisions concerning the validity of the Community trademarks and Community designs in Lithuania and the issuance of supplementary protection certificates for the active agents of medicine and plant protection products patented in Lithuania.
The year 2003 was significant for the State Patent Bureau in terms of intensive preparation for the EU membership: draft legal acts were mapped out in order to ensure the validity of the EU legal acts in Lithuania; the representation of Lithuania's interests was commenced in the working groups of the EU Commission and Council and EU Office for the Harmonisation in the Internal Market; legal, administrative and technical work was started in preparation for the accession to the European Patent Convention. Moreover, alongside the integration projects, other international projects were carried out: further successful co-operation with international organisations, improvement of the SPB staff qualifications and strengthening of administrative capacity.
The competition in the area of knowledge economy is intensifying as an increasing number of enterprises compete on the world scale. The effective protection of intellectual property by means of patents and exclusive rights to trademarks and designs becomes crucial to Lithuanian and European business.
In 2003, 20,272 applications for registration of exclusive rights were filed at the State Patent Bureau or extended to Lithuania, i.e. 12,4 % more than in 2002.
In 2003, the state registers of patents, trademarks, designs and firm names of the Republic of Lithuania recorded 13,054 exclusive rights to industrial property objects. 755 European patents and 4,486 international trademark registrations came into force in Lithuania. 152 oppositions and appeals concerning the registration of industrial property objects were examined.
On 31 December 2003, the State Patent Bureau accepted the last applications for registration of firm names, and thus, its functions as a registrar of one of industrial property objects - firm name - came to an end. Pursuant to the provisions of the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania effective from 1 July 2000, separate registers will not be managed for the names of legal entities of all legal forms; the system of separate registration was replaced by the uniform registration of a legal entity and legal information concerning its activities at a single institution - the Register of Legal Entities.
All measures provided for in the strategic action plan of the SPB for 2003 were implemented.
I am sure that that the efforts made by the SPB will allow the Bureau to attain all goals and successfully integrate into the industrial property protection system of the European Union in 2004.
Rimvydas Naujokas
Director