Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has approved at first reading bill No. 2259 on reforming patent legislation. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the corresponding bill was supported by 369 MPs with the required 226 votes. “We already know that during the preparation of bill No. 2259 for second reading, we will hold extensive consultations on amendments to the so-called patent evergreening or secondary patents. We are talking about non-salts, isomers, new therapeutic solutions,” MP Roksolana Pidlasa (the Servant of the People parliamentary faction) said, presenting the document in parliament.
In addition, at an evening session on February 4, the Rada adopted bill No. 2258 on protecting intellectual property rights to trademarks and combating patent trolling with 350 supportive votes.
“Appealing fake patents is long, expensive and difficult, and the responsibility for trolling is almost symbolic. If someone uses your trademark or very similar to it, the copyright holder today has no opportunity of appealing this, except in court. And, unfortunately, such an appeal by the current judicial system is also long, expensive and complicated,” Pidlasa said.
The bill sets the list of grounds for refusal to register a trademark or industrial mark, provides for the opening of a database of applications for trademarks for pre-registration protection.
“Finally, we impose tough sanctions on violators of intellectual property rights, a fine of up to UAH 2 million. Together, these tools make the manipulation with trademarks and industrial designs very difficult, economically disadvantageous and risky,” Pidlasa said.
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of February 5
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
National bank of ukraine’s official rates as of 05/02/20
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
The export of vegetables, fruits, berries and nuts, fresh, frozen and dried brought Ukraine $339 million in revenue last year, which is 9.4% more than in 2018, and 20.1% more than in 2017. According to a Tuesday report on the website of the Ukrainian Horticultural Association, walnuts, berries and apples were the main product groups providing growth in the export of fruits and vegetables. The growth in revenue from apple exports over two years exceeded 150%, while exports of nuts and frozen berries grew by about 37% in two years.
At the same time, according to the association, the share of these three leading categories of the total export of fruits and vegetables continued to grow and reached 70% in 2019.
“The growth rate of export of fruits and vegetables from Ukraine remains high, but whether the country can keep them in 2020 is a big question, because there have been a number of negative trends, such as a strengthening of the national currency, a shortage of labor for harvesting products, a decrease in raspberry production, decrease in investments in new orchards and berry plants, and other things. At the same time, there is great hope that Ukraine will continue growing for some time thanks to the fruiting of orchards, nuts and berries laid over the past five years,” Economist at the investment department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Andriy Yarmak said.
According to the association, Ukraine is not even among the top 50 world leaders in terms of fruit and vegetable exports.
“For example, Lithuania, with a climate not favorable for fruits and vegetables, exports more fruits and vegetables than the entire Ukraine. Poland exports $2.6 billion worth fruits and vegetables – eight times more than Ukraine. Moreover, this includes re-export of Ukrainian berries, and other products of the fruit and vegetable group,” the association said.
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has passed at second reading bill No. 2241 with amendments to the Tax Code on the reduction of the amber production royalty from 25% to 10% from 2022, and by the end of 2020 the interim rate of 5% will be in effect and in 2021 – 8%. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported that 290 MPs voted in favor of the corresponding bill with the required 226 votes.
“The committee at the meeting decided to take into account the proposals submitted by MPs regarding the reduction of the amber production royalty rate to 10% and temporarily set the royalty for the use of mineral resources for the production of amber until December 31, 2020 inclusively in the amount of 5%, until December 31, 2021 inclusive – at 8%. Thus, the 10% rate will be effective from January 1, 2022,” Deputy Head of the parliamentary committee on finance, customs and tax policy Oleksandr Kovalchuk said, presenting the document from the rostrum of the parliament.
An increase in the royalty from 5% to 25% in 2016 led to a decrease in budget revenues under this item, he said.
“Therefore, the proposed approach has a stimulating character for the legalization of amber production,” Kovalchuk said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed that $2.9 billion, which NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy received from Russia’s Gazprom as the execution of the award of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, are sent for the implementation of infrastructure projects and healthcare development.
“We plan to additionally provide funds for road construction. This is our infrastructure priority, other infrastructure projects, the medical sector and energy efficiency. Among the plans is to build more than 200 medical aid stations across Ukraine,” he said at a meeting with representatives of the Cabinet ministers and the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday, the press service of the head of state reported.
Zelensky invited the government to prepare the necessary draft documents within two weeks.
