Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has passed at first reading two bills designed to adapt a number of legislative acts dealing with intellectual property rights to European legislation. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported that the parliamentarians, in particular, passed the bill amending some legislative acts on improving the legal protection of geographical indications No. 6023, which 226 deputies supported at first reading.
According to the explanatory note to the bill, its adoption is required for “fulfilling Ukraine’s commitments in the field of European integration.” The document proposes that the Economic, Civil Codes of Ukraine, the law on protection of rights to identify the origin of goods, the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on national duty are amended.
In the opinion of the authors of the bill, its adoption will ensure the achievement of the European level of protection of intellectual property rights, the fulfillment of the obligations taken by Ukraine in accordance with the Association Agreement, the implementation of Association Agreement’s provisions into national legislation, the adaptation of national legislative acts to the law of the European Union, the improvement of legal regulation of relations in the field of intellectual property for the protection of rights to geographical indications.
In particular, the bill clarifies the definitions of some terms (“geographical indication”, “name of the place of conforming goods”‘ and other terms); determines the conditions for granting the legal protection of identical geographical indications and the grounds for refusing to grant this protection.
The bill proposes that corresponding changes to the Civil Code and the law on protection of rights to the topography of integrated circuits is made. The adoption of this bill will ensure the achievement of the European level of protection of intellectual property rights, the fulfillment of obligations assumed by Ukraine in accordance with the Association Agreement, the implementation of Association Agreement’s provisions in national legislation and other things. “The Rada has adopted at first reading bill No. 6023 on the protection of geographical indications, and now we will be able to protect “Nizhyn cucumbers” or “Myrhorodska” just like the French protect their brands “cognac” or “champagne,” the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade said on Twitter.
