A bilateral meeting was held on March 15, this year, at the administration level of the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) and the Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova.

The representatives of the two institutions were convened to discuss the most pressing issues concerning the competitive aspects of the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, given the current economic and social challenges.

Thus, the latest developments in the field of intellectual property in the light of competition policy in the Republic of Moldova were addressed during the meeting. Given the importance of protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights for sustainable economic development, AGEPI Director General Eugeniu Rusu and President of the Competition Council Alexei Ghertescu agreed on priority areas of cooperation between the two institutions, called to contribute to building a favorable competitive climate for all market players. Trademark protection and parallel import, facilitating access to medicines and improving compulsory licensing regime, managing copyright and related rights and ensuring fairness in the process of using rights by holders and users of intellectual property rights are just a few of the topics discussed during the meeting.

Leaders of both institutions expressed their belief that combining efforts will strengthen the capacity to counter unfair practices in the local market and help ensure strong protection of intellectual property rights accompanied by a rigorous enforcement of competition rules. In order to achieve their common goals, the Parties agreed on strengthening the exchange of information and mutual consultation on topics of interest, coordinating the initiatives and positions on areas of competence, organizing joint actions and events.