1. Designing a Dynamic IP System in the Republic of Belarus
Mrs. Anzhela Plionkina,
Deputy Director General
National Center of Intellectual Property of Belarus
WIPO, Geneva, April 8, 2016

2. Republic of Belarus
Independent state on the world political map since 1991
Located in the heart of Europe. It shares borders with Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine and Poland.
Population — ~ 9,5 million people.
Area — км².
Unitary Presidential Republic. Belarus consists of 6 Regions. Capital — Minsk.

3. Historical Background of the National Intellectual Property (IP)
One of the main condition of the establishment of the State in 1991 was the formation of national IP system, including appropriate infrastructure and legislation
Initial goals and challenges :
Creating an IP system in conditions of limited material and human resources
Formation of new (unknown or unconventional) IP Institutions
Transition from “inventors’ certificates” to the regime of the exclusive rights
Integration into the global IP system

4. Setting-Up of Governmental Bodies
1992 – establishment of the Patent Office and the State Committee on Copyright and Related Rights under the Council of Ministers
2001 – establishment of the National Center of Intellectual Property
2001 – establishment of the State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus (SCST) – supervising republican body in IP sphere

5. Formation of IP infrastructure
1993 – Institution of Patent Attorneys
1995 – Board of Appeals under the Patent Office
1995 – Republican Scientific-Technical Library - depository of patent data
2000 – Judicial Board on the Cases of Intellectual Property of the Supreme Court –1st specialized court in IP sphere among CIS countries.

6. Modern IP infrastructure6
Modern IP infrastructure
State Committee on Science and Technology (SCST)
National Center of Intellectual Property
Judicial Board on the Cases of Intellectual Property of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus
Republican Scientific-Technical Library
Patent Attorneys, Lawyers
Intellectual Property Appraisers
Belarusian Society of Inventors and Innovators

7. Adoption of IP Laws 1993 Inventions, Industrial Designs, Trademarks
1995 Plant Varieties
1996 Copyright and Related Rights
1997 Utility Models
1998 Integrated Circuits
2002 Geographical Indications
February 1993

8. International Agreements and Treaties
16 international agreements and treaties administered by WIPO, including:
Paris Convention(1883);
Madrid Agreement (1891) and the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement (1989);
PCT (1970);
Berne Convention (1971, 1979);
Rome Convention (1961);
WIPO Copyright Treaty (1996);
WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (1996);
Singapore Treaty (2006)
Eurasian Patent Convention (1994)
Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (2014)

9. Strong IP system High standards of IP protection
Wide range of IP rights
Non-discrimination
Balance of interests of all participants
Challenges on the formation stage of the national IP system :
limited resources of the transition economy
lack of understanding and inability of society to enjoy the benefits of the IP system
low level of enforcement of intellectual property rights

10. National Center of Intellectual Property 10
National Center of Intellectual Property
Development and implementation of the state policy in IP sphere;
Patent Office;
Collective management;
Information and publishing activity;
Training programs of specialists in IP sphere;
International cooperation;
Assistance to the activity of creative unions and other public organizations

11. How to build a dynamic IP system?
IP system should serve the goals of economic, social and cultural development of society
IP system should contain an internal mechanism for development (be self-sustaining)
Available resources involvement and a clear action plan

12. Forming the State Policy in IP Sphere
Development Concept of Intellectual Property Protection System of the Republic of Belarus for 2004 – 2005
State Program of Intellectual Property Protection of the Republic of Belarus for 2004 – 2006
State Program of Intellectual Property Protection for 2008 – 2010
Strategy of the Republic of Belarus in the Sphere of Intellectual Property for 2012 – 2020

13. Implemented State Policy IP Projects for 2004 – 2010
Contests “Best Organization of Inventive Activity and IP Management” and “Best Organization in the Field of Copyright and Related Rights”
2006 – 2007 –course at universities "Basics of IP Management”
Competition of student works in IP sphere
Consulting and methodological points in IP sphere in Minsk and Regional cities
Patent information and educational-methodical services
Project “Intellectual Property Exchange”
17 IP guidelines, scientific and practical journal “Intellectual Property in Belarus”, official website of IP Office

14. Strategy of the Republic of Belarus in the Sphere of Intellectual Property for 2012-2020
Goal - improving on the basis of IP the national economy competitiveness
Responsible bodies: republican and regional authorities, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Methodological Guide - SCCT
Funding - means of the republican and local budgets and off-budget funds.
Priority arrangements on implementation of the Strategy are developed for biennium

15. Main Directions of the Strategy15
Main Directions of the Strategy
improvement of legislation;
infrastructure development;
development of functional areas in IP sphere (protection, assessment and etc.);
improvement of IP management on sectoral and regional levels;
development of national branding on IP basis;
development of tools to stimulate the creation and exploitation of IP;
development of mechanisms for lawful access to science, literature and art to achieve sustainable development;
improvement of enforcement policy in respect of violations in IP sphere;
raising the value of IP to create new jobs and production of competitive products.

16. Ongoing Projects
Accession to new international agreements and treaties
Improvement of the national legislation on trademarks and patents
Optimization of terms and procedures for consideration of applications for industrial property objects
Development and implementation of sectoral and regional IP policy
Improvement of service points for protection and management of IP in enterprises
Development of IP commercialization infrastructure
Interaction of research organizations with industry organizations and SMEs
Development of education and scientific research in IP sphere
Dissemination of knowledge on IP and its importance for the socio-economic development

17. Contemporary Goals and Challenges
Necessity of the status change of IP Offices in the innovation economy
National IP system should be used by society as a mechanism for economic, social and cultural development
IP system should not damage interests of society
Necessity of integration of the national IP system into the Eurasian regional IP system without prejudice to national interests

18. Thank you!