Delegation of the Institute paid a study visit to the State Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Croatia
A delegation of the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina, led by Director Josip Merdžo and Deputy Director Zdravko Kašković, paid a study visit to the State Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Croatia (DZIV) in the period from 10 to 14 June.
The study visit was realized within the project "EU Support to Intellectual Property Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina" and with the support of Luka Novak, a key expert on the project for copyright and related rights. The project is funded by the European Union and is implemented with the aim of improving the competitiveness and innovation of the economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and establishing a system of intellectual property rights as an important mechanism to support the creative economy and social and cultural development.
The aim of the study visit was to exchange experiences in harmonizing national regulations in the field of intellectual property with the European acquis and challenges in their implementation. Members of the Institute's delegation had the opportunity to acquire new expertise in the field of recognition of various intellectual property rights and the promotion of the importance of intellectual property for the improvement of the entire innovation ecosystem.
During the five-day visit, DZIV representatives held a series of presentations in which they presented experiences regarding the implementation of EU directives and regulations in national legislation related to intellectual property and explained the role of DZIV in the system of enforcement of intellectual property rights in the Republic of Croatia.
On the second day of the visit, a visit to the Music Copyright Service (ZAMP) of the Croatian Composers' Society (HDS) was organized, where the director Hrvoje Marčec introduced the representatives of the Institute to the work and organizational structure of the service dealing with the protection and promotion of the Croatian musical repertoire and the collective management of the rights of authors of musical works. Also, the delegation had the opportunity to visit the Information Centre for Intellectual Property of the DZIV (INCENTIV) and get acquainted with the services provided by the Centre to users of the intellectual property system and the role of the Centre in the process of technology transfer.
In her introductory address and with words of welcome, the Director General of the State Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Croatia, Ljiljana Kuterovac, emphasized that the study visit and exchange of practices is an opportunity for more intensive cooperation between the DZIV and the Institute in the field of intellectual property rights protection. On the same occasion, the Director of the Institute, Josip Merdžo, pointed out that getting acquainted with the experiences and good practices of the DZIV is of great importance for the Institute in terms of continuing to harmonize national legislation with the European acquis and improving the system of intellectual property protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
