Almost 70 percent of software installed on computers in Serbia is not genuine, whereas the value of this illegal software is $70 million, as stated on Monday at the conference “Serbia on World Map – Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”.
According to FoNet, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said that European Commission experts assessed that Serbian administrative capacity in the area of intellectual rights protection was very good, but more work needed to be invested in full implementation of legislation.
Today’s conference is part and parcel of EU-funded Twinning project worth €1.3 million. Apart from the Twinning, EU have granted 1.5 million euros for the purchase of three machines for destruction of counterfeit goods.
“21 century economics is based on human resources, knowledge, creativity, innovation, new technologies. Thus protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights demand our undivided attention. 76 million jobs (35 per cent of total employment) in the EU is directly or indirectly generated in sectors dependant on protection of intellectual property rights”, Davenport said.
Despite the long-standing tradition of the Republic of Serbia in the area of protection of intellectual property rights – namely, Serbia celebrates 95th anniversary of the establishment of Intellectual Property Office in November 2015 – current level of protection of intellectual property rights is not satisfactory, Davenport said and added that more effort was needed in order to ensure the level of protection of intellectual property rights similar to the one in the EU, “including effective means for enforcement of these rights, no later than 1 September 2018, given that this is the commitment Serbia has assumed under the Article 75 of Stabilisation and Association Agreement.”
These products are threat to consumers’ health and safety, the conference stated, along with data that at one point Serbia received over half a tone of counterfeit pesticides that could damage crops and turn arable into useless land.
“European Union assists Serbia in implementation of these important tasks whose key success elements are coordinated work of institutions and international cooperation. Our programme of intellectual property rights enforcement worth €2.8 million helps to transfer good European practice into Serbian institutions: market inspection, customs, police, prosecutor office, judiciary,” Davenport said.
“Twinning worth €1.3 million, implemented with our partners from Denmark and the UK, is part of the assistance package. The project facilitated exchange of experience, training of staff in relevant institutions and represented continuation of the successfully implemented project focused on Intellectual Property Office and creation of training centre,” Davenport said.
Last year, as stated at the conference, customs administration in Serbia retained more than 670,000 items due to suspicion that said items were made in breach of intellectual property rights, including some 160,000 cell phone parts and more than 105,000 toys.
At the same time, market inspection seized over 220,000 products, including almost 175,000 bottles of alcoholic beverages and more that 5,000 pieces of body care products.
Conference also stated that, bearing the quantity and quality of counterfeit consumer goods in mind, organised crime was undoubtedly behind the production, import and distribution of these goods.
