This is a Matter of the Country's Reputation: It's About the Class and Level of the Country, Says Pashinyan

The press service of the Government of Armenia has issued a statement, the last thought of which is unfinished. The message is presented as published at this time:

“Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Intellectual Property Office of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia to discuss the 2023 activity report. At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister noted that during discussions on various, including strategic issues, they come to the conclusion that the protection mechanisms of intellectual property and their improvement are of significant key importance regarding the development of the economy and the improvement of the investment environment.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, the purpose of today’s meeting is also to understand what mechanisms are functioning in Armenia, how well these mechanisms are operating, and how much our country is able to protect intellectual property.

Christine Hambaryan, the head of the Intellectual Property Office, reported on the main functions of the office, including the acceptance and examination of applications for industrial property objects, state registration, issuance of patents and certificates, and maintaining state registries of the mentioned objects, as well as the registration of franchising, licensing contracts, and agreements for the transfer of rights.

The Prime Minister was also provided with information regarding the applications for patents, industrial designs, and trademarks registration from 2021-2023. It was noted that compared to previous years, the number of applications for trademarks registered through national procedures, as well as international applications received under the Madrid system in the name of the Republic of Armenia, has increased.

Prime Minister Pashinyan recalled that years ago there was a well-known case where a local businessman registered an internationally recognized brand in Armenia and inquired about the outcome of that case. Christine Hambaryan noted that the matter was resolved in court, in favor of the rightholder, and the registration was declared invalid. According to the head of the office, they currently do not have problematic registrations, as the existing law does not allow for them. “We have solved this legally. This means that we look at the usage. We have prevented unfair registrations, and a mechanism has been created,” said Christine Hambaryan.

“Why is a person interested in bringing an industrial design or invention and registering it? To ensure that no one can take it from them and use it later. Are our mechanisms adequate now, when we register - whose responsibility is the protection? The state's?” asked the Prime Minister. The head of the office pointed out that the responsibility for protection lies simultaneously with the rightholder and the state. “The state creates mechanisms, while the rightholder needs to be sufficiently informed about their rights and apply to the relevant authorities. We have a unit in the police that deals with intellectual property violations. We have a registry in the customs authority where, for example, rightholders can register their trademarks. If goods are imported under that name, the customs officer is obliged to stop that product and contact the rightholder to verify if that is the product being imported or not, while within the country, we have the police and the courts,” said the head of the Office.

Christine Hambaryan informed that since May 17, 2023, the electronic system for accepting applications has integrated the ability to present patent and industrial design application materials through 3D models. This model allows applicants to submit applications using 3D models.

In the reporting year, the Intellectual Property Office joined the “I am” national identification platform. The digitization of applications for the registration of intellectual property objects and all transactional documents related to them is ongoing. The Prime Minister was also informed about the legislative reforms carried out from 2021 to 2023. In particular, new laws on “Patents,” “Industrial Designs,” as well as changes and amendments to the laws on “Geographical Indications,” “Trademarks,” and “State Duty” have come into effect. The Government of Armenia has approved 14 subordinate legislative acts. A new law on “Copyright and Related Rights” has been introduced, developed in collaboration with experts from the World Intellectual Property Organization. At the same time, it was reported that suggestions on the draft of the new copyright law had been received from various agencies, which would soon be summarized and the final version of the draft would be submitted to the Government for discussion.

It was noted that the office charges a state duty for the actions associated with the legal protection of intellectual property objects in accordance with the law on “State Duty.” The volume of duties collected last year amounted to 687.5 million drams compared to 614 million drams in 2022. It was also reported that other financial revenues are generated for the state budget from the examination of international applications conducted by the office. Other financial resources come from the provisions established under the Eurasian Patent Convention (which Armenia has been a member of since February 27, 1996), the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (of which Armenia has been a member since December 25, 1991), and the provisions of the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement (of which Armenia has been a member since July 13, 2007).

Prime Minister Pashinyan reminded that the state requires income tax from singers and other representatives of the show business, and this policy should be expanded. At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan added that this also brings certain discontent, and the state should provide an additional source for these singers, demanding that specific restaurants respect copyright laws and make the necessary payments to authors for the music played.

“This is actually about the class and level of the country. Now, let’s see what problems we have in this area. International organizations and major brands are continuously warning us, and we have always said that this issue needs to be resolved, but also understanding that we cannot solve this in one operation, we have put forward a certain political issue to be resolved over time. This is a matter of the country's reputation. And I feel that first of all, this seriousness of the agenda is not sufficiently perceived here, and it seems to me that we need to create this awareness. I believe that one of the most important things in this regard is again public communication. First, we need to ensure that this conversation is not heard in a wilderness in the republic, where people at least start nodding their heads, acknowledging that there is a problem there, and let’s solve it,” said the Prime Minister.

It was also noted that the office has deepened and strengthened its cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO), and relevant authorities of foreign states, participating in international conferences, meetings, workshops, seminars, and working meetings organized in the field. Issues existing in the field of intellectual property in Armenia have been addressed, and proposals for their possible solutions have been presented. Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the consistent efforts of the office towards the registration of geographical names and instructed the development of relevant documents in cooperation with international partners for the purpose of sector development.”