Serbia

The new Law on Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products launched

The new law was launched on 3 July 2013 and replaces the Law on protection of Topographies of Integrated Circuits. Instead of integrated circuits, the protection subjects are semiconductor products. This allows for wider protection pertaining to the all types of electric circuits. This is a result of the need for legal framework improvement and for harmonization with international and EU standards.

Serbian customs officers prevented smuggling of over 400 protected plants

The customs officers at the Djala border crossing were able to prevent an attempt to smuggle in over 400 protected plants into the Republic of Serbia by one of its citizens. The plants in question were primarily succulent plants. Due to the possibility that the plants in question are member of species protected by the CITES Convention, plants were transported to Palić Zoo where an expert examination, which confirmed the officers' suspicion, was carried out.

Croatia

Action "Stop counterfeiting and piracy" held in Rovinj

Organized by the state authorities involved in the implementation of intellectual property regulations, the action "Stop counterfeiting and piracy" was held in Rovinj to raise the awareness of the negative consequences caused by infringements of these laws. Participants were able to see counterfeit / pirated goods which have been retained and confiscated by the state authorities and were educated on how to distinguish originals from counterfeit products. The highlight of this event was the children's theatre performance entitled "Who invented this?" about the 25 greatest Croatian inventions.

Macedonia

Regional TAIEX Workshop on "IPR Crime" held

Within the framework of TAIEX Instrument for support by the European Commission, a Regional TAIEX Workshop on "IPR Crime" was held in Skopje. It was well attended by national and regional representatives from institutions involved in the system of protection of intellectual property. High level experts from INTERPOL, EUROPOL, Danish Patent and Trademark Office, Pharmaceutical Security Institute, UK Trading Standards Institute, the Guardia di Finanza of Italy and the Customs Administration of the Netherlands took part and shared their experiences.

Albania

Developing an Industrial Property Rights System in Albania

In a promotion effort to increase public information and knowledge on the protection and enforcement of industrial property rights in Albania, a media campaign was organised by the EU Delegation to Albania and implemented by the European Patent Office. In addition to broadcasting in media, a conference and a street event were also held.

Greece

OBI appointed New Director General

Mr. Ioannis K. Zaragas has recently been appointed as the new Director General of the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation (OBI). Mr. Zaragas mission will be improvement of the
work of OBI.

Turkey

Integration of the Turkish Patent Institute (TPI) into TMclass

Turkish Patent Institute (TPI): Türk Patent Enstitüsü joined the TMclass online tool. It is based on the Nice Classification system which helps users correctly classify goods and services when filing a trade mark, allowing users to search for terms in any of the 26 languages available.

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