During Latvia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia is organising an international conference to emphasise the importance of intellectual property in the economy. The event is being organised in order to share experience and discuss current issues on the protection and implementation of intellectual property rights in terms of increasing the competitiveness of individual companies, facilitating economic growth and international cooperation.

Attention will be focussed on forthcoming changes in the landscape of industrial property protection – a European patent with unitary effect, the Unified Patent Court, trademark reform, the WIPO industrial design treaty. This conference will be an opportunity to discuss the role of various institutions in IPR policy development.

The Conference participants from Latvia and guests from abroad will share experience on the practical use of inventions, trademarks and designs in business and the implementation of intellectual property rights. They will discuss the risks regarding infringement of intellectual property rights and the provision of support services to small and medium-sized enterprises.The Conference participants are EU MS representatives from intellectual property authorities, scientists, representatives and experts from universities and the field of intellectual property, manufacturers and other persons whose activity is already considerably influenced by intellectual property or who will derive economic benefit in the future from making full use of the opportunities provided by intellectual property protection.

The Conference will be attended by the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the President of the European Patent Office, the President of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs), and representatives from regional intellectual property protection organisations.

Live broadcast will be available on eu2015.lv