We note the encouraging trend of a gradual return to pre-war activity. We also show the dynamics of the Ukrainian IP market development through the prism of figures and infographics.

In the face of a grueling full-scale war with the Russian Federation, the Ukrainian economy is showing impressive resilience. This allows the intellectual property sector to recover and develop.
 

General trends
 

In the first half of 2023, there was a significant increase in IP activity, which indicates a tendency to gradually return performance indicators in this area to pre-war levels. This is demonstrated by the data of the report published by the IP office.

In particular, over 15 thousand IPR applications were filed in the first six months of this year. Compared to the first half of 2022, the total number of applications increased by 51.2%:

• invention applications – +16,2%;
• utility models applications – +70,5%;
• industrial designs applications – +29,7%;
• trade marks applications (national procedure) – +55,5%.

Applications for Industrial Property Rights Protection in 2019 – 2023 (1 half of the year)
 

Inventions and utility models dynamics
 

The trends of returning to pre-war indicators are especially clear in the statistics of inventions, where there was a 63% increase in the activity of national applicants. The total number of applications has almost caught up with the figures for the first half of 2021 - 1421 versus 1592.

Non-resident inventions applications by Origin for the First half of 2023

The number of applications for utility models is also growing, which indicates a revival of applicants' inventive activity. Compared to the previous year, the total number of applications increased by 70.5%, with the largest increase in applications from national applicants (70.6%)

Applications for Inventions and Utility Models by Region of Ukraine (the first half 2023)

Higher Education Institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine with the highest inventive activity in the first half of 2023
 

Copyright - the best results for 5 years
 

During the first half of 2023, 4083 applications for copyright registration were filed. This is one of the best indicators for the last 5 years. Compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, the number of applications increased by 70.8%, and the number of contracts relating to the author's right to a work increased by almost 106.4%.

Registration of copyright by subject matter in the first half of 2023
 

Business activity and trademarks
 

Trademarks play a key role in the development and popularization of a company, and allow consumers to distinguish their goods and services in the market.

The IP Office provides businesses and other users with information about trademarks that have been granted legal protection in Ukraine. The electronic filing of trademark applications allows brand owners to submit applications online. In total, more than 10 thousand trademark applications were filed through the electronic system in the first half of 2023.

Applications for trademark registration under the national procedure 2019-2023 (the first half of 2023)

Registration of trademarks provides an opportunity to increase business awareness and promote the competitiveness of goods and services not only in Ukraine but also in the markets of other countries.

In the first half of 2023, the share of trademark applications filed by national applicants under the national procedure increased by 66.6% (compared to the first half of last year) and amounted to 72.3% of the total number of applications filed.
 

↓  Full report for the first half of 2023 is publishes in the booklet

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International cooperation in IP sphere: The Ministry of Economy have signed a Memorandum with WIPO

The document is focused on softening the negative implications of war and restoration of innovative and creative ecosystem of Ukraine providing the deepening of cooperation.

The First vice-Prime-Minister of Ukraine – the Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko have signed Memorandum of Understanding (hereinafter – MoU) between the Ministry of Economy and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) considering the cooperation in the sphere of intellectual property.

«Strengthening cooperation with specialized agency of UN should support national economy, enlarge the contribution in the victory over the aggressor and save the scientific and creative potential of our people. Now we are doing an accent on overcoming the implications of russian war against Ukraine, and our European future. At the same time, we are opening new horizons for cooperation, that are aimed on developing and reconstruction/rebuilding of our country», - stated Yulia Svyrydenko.

MoU implies deepening cooperation and focused on transcending the negative implications of russian war of aggression against Ukraine in the sphere of innovational and creative sector and ecosystem of Ukraine.

In particular, the document defines following spheres of cooperation between Ministry of Economy and WIPO:

• Enlistment of international technical support and financial resources for satisfying the needs of ip sector and innovations of Ukraine;
• Support of SMEs, explorers and representatives of creative sectors, that have suffered from war;
• Strengthening the potential and providing support of Ukrainian institutions in access to patent and non – patent data bases;
• Adaptation of national strategy of Ukrainian IP sphere, development taking into account negative consequences of war in intellectual property sphere (IP);
• Activities of human resources development in the field of IP, in particular through the activities of the National Intellectual Property Training Center with the support of the WIPO Academy and implementation of educational, in particular master's degree, programs in IP;
• Support of national network in development and functioning the of Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs);
• The development of Mediation and Mediation Center at the National Intellectual Property Office;
• Support of digital IP transformation spheres and innovations;
• Realization of WIPO`s program on supporting the inventors.

During the meeting in the 64th series of the WIPO General Assembly between Ukrainian delegation, formed from Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovation (IP office) and Permanent representatives of Ukraine in UN in Geneva and other international organizations, a lot of attention were devoted to MoU steps of realization.

«Sphere of intellectual property, as all other spheres, should work hard in order to gain the victory over the aggressor, save lives and potential of our people, to help national economy, to rebuild and reconstruct Ukraine. With the help of joint projects and technical support of WIPO we plan to continue support and stimulate the development of creative and innovative sectors of Ukrainian economy and IP sphere. That is the reason we are willing, in particular, to adopt National IP strategy, accented on recovery of Ukraine and overcoming negative implications of russian aggression, taking into account our Euro-integration process», -- underlined the Director of UANIPIO (IP Office) Olena Orliuk.

We would like to remind, that monitoring and overcoming the medium and long-term consequences of the war in Ukraine became the basis for the details discussion of cooperation between Ukraine and WIPO. They were highlighted in a recent Report of International WIPO Bureau represented on WIPO General Assembly.

We recall the key events involving the Ukrainian delegation at the 64th series of meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO.

The General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has ended in Geneva, Switzerland. Our country was represented at the international forum by: The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva and representatives of the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (IP Office):

• Olena Orliuk, Director of the IP Office;
• Bogdan Paduchak, First Deputy Director of the IP Office;
• Vladyslav Bilotskyi, Deputy Director of the IP Office.

Read about the key events of the General Assembly in our summary digest.

WIPO adopted decision on further assistance to Ukraine

The WIPO International Bureau will continue to provide concrete assistance and support to Ukraine, as set out in Section 7 "Conclusions" of the "Report on Assistance and Support for Ukraine`s Innovation and Creative Sector and Intellectual Property System". It also recognizes the negative consequences of the war started by the russian federation. This is stated in the decision of the WIPO General Assembly.

This decision was made in complex, two-day discussions with significant opposition from representatives of the russian delegation, their supporters and proxies. However, Ukraine received a positive decision due to close coordination with like-minded countries and persistence of the members of the delegation and our Permanent Mission.

Ukraine called for strengthening the isolation of the russian federation in WIPO and IP sphere

Report on Assistance and Support for Ukraine`s Innovation and Creative Sector and Intellectual Property System was presented at the General Assembly.

The Member States condemned the actions of the russian federation, stressed their support for Ukraine "as long as it takes", shared their experience and programmes for internally displaced Ukrainians and the impact of the war on their countries. They also called on the WIPO International Bureau to continue the necessary consultations and technical support to Ukraine.

The text of the statement of the Ukrainian delegation, delivered by Olena Orliuk, Director of the IP Office, during the consideration, is available here.

IP Office continues to perform the functions of the International Searching Authority (ISA) and the International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA)

The Ukrainian delegation advocated for the relevant amendments to the Agreement between the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine and the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, approved at the 55th session of the International Patent Cooperation Union Assemblies on 10.07.2023.

The Ukrainian delegation met with WIPO Director General Daren Tang

The parties discussed cooperation between Ukraine and the World Intellectual Property Organization, the impact of full-scale russian aggression on the creative and innovative sectors, and the digitalization and administration of the IP sphere.

The main attention was paid to the discussion of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and WIPO. The document envisages deepening cooperation in the intellectual property sphere based on the results of the assessment of the immediate, medium and long-term impact of the military aggression of the russian federation on the innovation and creative sectors and the ecosystem of Ukraine. The WIPO International Bureau carried out this assessment.

The IP Office signed the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)

The document outlines a large number of areas for cooperation, lays the foundation for new joint projects and qualitative development of previous developments. It clearly defines the European path of harmonization and partnership, so it will benefit our applicants and the entire IP system.

The assignment Memorandum of Understanding between the IP Office and the European Patent Office (EPO)

It provides for enhanced cooperation in strategic and technical areas and exchange of best practices. In particular, the cooperation between the Ukrainian IP Office and the European Patent Office will have a positive impact on the quality and speed of processing of national and international applications.

The Ukrainian delegation called for the termination of funding for WIPO and the External Office in russia

Representatives of the delegations of the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Latvia, Estonia, and the Czech Republic spoke in support of the proposal.

At the same time, Ukraine emphasized that the funding reduction should be seen as a temporary and urgent measure. However, in the future, our country will insist on the complete closure of the office in Moscow.

The Ukrainian delegation called for WIPO to respect the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine

In particular, to take measures against falsely indicating the addresses of applicants from the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by the russian federation as applicants from the russia.

Ukraine, together with WIPO, is working on practical solutions within the mandate of the Organization that will help prevent the illegal actions of the russian federation. Currently, WIPO has created a separate disclaimer within the Madrid Monitor and Patentscope resources, which states that the information in the filed applications (in particular, bibliographic information on the applicants' addresses) does not reflect the views or positions of the WIPO International Bureau.

Ukraine outlines its main security and development priorities for the IP sphere

They were outlined in the joint statement of the Ukrainian delegation delivered by Yevheniia Filipenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva.

In particular, the priorities of our country include

• forward-looking legislation on copyright and related rights, which allows us to adapt to the evolving technologies and challenges faced by our creators;
• European integration, which largely determines our actions and policies;
• and most importantly, preserving the life and potential of our nation in the face of russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.

The meeting of the representatives of the Ukrainian IP Office and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)

The following issues were discussed at the meeting:

• support for the development of IT resources, technical means for examination and administration of IP;
• the introduction of artificial intelligence for IP offices;
• joint training and exchange of experience on the administration of intellectual property rights and support for innovation;
• support for small and medium-sized businesses and creative industries;
• exchange of experience on intellectual property protection and IP management in the public sector.

The IP Office management met with the management of the International Trademark Association (INTA)

They discussed deepening cooperation, raising the level of employees' qualification and joint projects to consolidate efforts in overcoming existing challenges; development of innovation infrastructure as one of the tools for technological rebuilding, improvement of the investment climate, innovative development of the country and business; joint activities to improve the legal culture in the IP sphere.

The exhibits of Ukrainian artists were presented at the cultural event of the Central European and Baltic States (CEBS side event)

This year's slogan was "She inspires", and the event was dedicated to the role of women in innovation, inventiveness, and creative industries. The event consisted of a fashion show, an exhibition of innovative designs, musical performances and tasting of traditional dishes of the region.

Ukraine was represented by Yuliya Magdych and Ivona Loban's dresses, Olena Dats's vyshyvanka with augmented reality elements, and Ksenia Belkina's unique Cardiomo health monitoring device.

In the process of preparing the event, Ulyana Khromyak provided significant assistance in presenting the creative products of Ukrainian designers.

Deepening of cooperation, support and development of the IP sphere of Ukraine were also discussed during the meetings between the IP Office management with national offices of Poland, Moldova, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and other countries.

Working meetings were also held with the relevant WIPO structures to deepen the projects of the IP Academy in cooperation with the WIPO Academy, the Mediation and Arbitration Center, etc.

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• Preserving the nation’s potential: Ukraine outlined its top security and development priorities for the IP sphere and thanked for international support during the WIPO’s Assemblies
• International businesses successfully commercializing innovations and intellectual property were honored at WIPO Headquarters

Ukraine declares its disassociation from the consensus on the approval of the budget of the WIPO External Office in russia and once again calls for its closure. Representatives of the IP Office made the statement during a meeting on the report of the Program and Budget Committee on the sidelines of the 64th series of meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO. 

In addition, the Ukrainian delegation will closely monitor the activities of this office in the future to prevent the aggressor country from using WIPO resources and global IP services to justify and support russian military aggression against Ukraine. This was emphasised by Vladyslav Bilotskyi, Deputy Director of the IP Office:

"We wish to place on record our concerns and reiterate our firm stance on the WIPO External Office in the Russian Federation, emphasizing the imperative of its closure. A country which blatantly violates WIPO principles and its statutory obligations does not deserve the privilege to host a WIPO Office."

At the last meeting of the Program and Budget Committee, the United States proposed to reduce the non-personnel budget of the WIPO External Office in the russian federation.

A report on the Assistance and Support for Ukraine’s Innovation and Creative sector and the Intellectual Property System was presented at the WIPO General Assembly.

In Geneva, Switzerland, where the 64th series of meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO is taking place, the Report on Assistance and Support for Ukraine’s Innovation and Creative sector and the Intellectual Property System was discussed.

The report was presented by WIPO Director General Mr Daren Tang and detailed by Director of the Transition and Developing Countries Division (TDC) Mr Habip Asan. The WIPO International Bureau described the methodology and results of the assessment, which confirmed the enormous negative impacts of russia's military aggression against Ukraine's IP system, innovation and creative sector.

WIPO Director General Mr Daren Tang

As part of the discussion, the Ukrainian delegation made a statement in which it thanked WIPO and its member states for their enormous efforts to support the IP sphere of our country during the full-scale invasion of russia. It called for further continuation of this support, while strengthening the isolation of russia.

After all, as long as russian troops remain on the territory of Ukraine and continue to fire missiles at civilian targets, this report can only end with an ellipsis.

"Behind every decreasing percentage and number in the report, behind every source and calculation, lies the shattered lives of individuals. We firmly believe that through close collaboration with WIPO and its esteemed Member States, Ukraine will be able to counteract the significant damages inflicted by the russian federation's aggressive actions on Ukraine's Innovation and Creativity Sector and Intellectual Property System. In this regard, the knowledge, experience, and resources of WIPO and its esteemed Member States will be invaluable in assisting Ukraine. Therefore, we request your consideration of the extending grace periods for Ukrainian applicants, facilitating access to global IP services and knowledge sources, assisting internally displaced persons from Ukraine, and engaging in programs to support Ukraine's innovation, creativity, and IP system. Your actions in support of Ukraine are an investment in a sustainable and peaceful future for innovation and creativity globally," said Olena Orliuk, The Director of the Ukrainian IP Office.

In addition, Ukraine urged WIPO and its member states to join further efforts aimed at isolating the russian federation from influencing international platforms and decision-making processes:

"The deliberate actions of Russian officials to exploit WIPO's resources in legitimizing the temporary occupation of Ukrainian territory, or to harness WIPO's resources and expertise to strengthen their armed aggression, must be stopped. Only through unity and courage in the face of this threat can we achieve the high goals and mission of this Organization, for the threat posed by the Russian Federation has long transcеnded national and regional boundaries and has become a global concern," added Olena Orliuk.

The full text of the Ukrainian delegation's statement is available here.

Support for Ukraine and its IP system, innovation and creative sectors were voiced during the discussion of this agenda item: Poland (on behalf of the CEBS group), Switzerland (on behalf of the Group B), Spain (on behalf of the EU), the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, France, the Philippines, Canada, Israel, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Vanuatu, Liechtenstein, Australia, Estonia, New Zealand, Slovakia, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Sweden, Luxembourg, Monaco, Germany, Moldova, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Portugal.

The Member States condemned the actions of the russian federation, stressed their support for Ukraine "as long as it takes", and shared their experience and programs for internally displaced Ukrainians and even the impact of the war on their countries. They also called on the WIPO International Bureau to continue the necessary consultations and technical support to Ukraine.

russian federation and Belarus expectedly opposed the implementation of last year's General Assembly decision to support Ukraine and stated that the report was biased. They also expressed their objections to the report and the special focus on Ukraine: Syria, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, the DPRK, Cuba and Mali.

The WIPO International Bureau will continue to provide concrete assistance and support to Ukraine, as set out in Section 7 "Conclusions" of the "Report on Assistance and Support to Ukraine’s Innovation and Creative Sector and the Intellectual Property System". It also recognizes the negative consequences of the war started by the russian federation.

This is stated in the decision adopted during the 64th series of meetings of the WIPO Assemblies. It also commits to present an updated report at the next series of meetings of the Assemblies in 2024, thereby keeping the issue of Ukraine relevant at WIPO meetings.

This decision was made in difficult discussions with significant resistance from the russian delegation. After the presentation of the Report on Assistance and Support to Ukraine on the sidelines of the 64th series of meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO, statements of solidarity with Ukraine and condemnation of the aggressive war of the russian federation, difficult negotiations began on the adoption of a decision based on the results of this discussion (Agenda item 21).

For the Ukrainian delegation and like-minded countries, it was important to reflect in the decision the confirmation of the negative impact of the russian federation's war on the innovation and creative sectors and the IP system of Ukraine, their further monitoring, as well as the approval of further support for our country by the WIPO International Bureau.

After two days of intense discussions between the regional groups coordinators, WIPO Member States, the Secretariat, the WIPO Chair and the WIPO Director General, representatives of the russian federation, their supporters and proxies, opposed the draft decision.

The decision was adopted only by a vote, which is not a common practice for the WIPO General Assembly decision-making process (usually adopted by consensus), and which took place well after the estimated closing time of the session. Moreover, such a decision required a 2/3 majority.

According to the results of the vote, which was initiated by Poland as the CEBS group coordinator (which includes Ukraine): out of 106 countries that voted, 27 abstained, 11 were against and 68 were in favour of the decision.

We received the greatest support from Group B countries, the CEBS group and EU member states. At the same time, the 11 countries that voted against were: the russian federation, Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Syria, and Venezuela.

"This decision shows that through close coordination with like-minded countries, we are able to prevent russia from maintaining its influence on the platforms of international organisations, in particular, WIPO," said Olena Orliuk, The Director of the Ukrainian IP Office.

Director of the Ukrainian IP office Olena Orliuk and First Deputy Director Bogdan Paduchak
 

Ukraine's achievement of another positive result at the UN Specialized International IP Platform conducted largely due to the active professional position of Yevheniia Filipenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva, and Ramiz Ramazanov, Mission Counsellor.

Yevheniia Filipenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva

The decision also strengthens the areas of future cooperation reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and WIPO, with a focus on mitigating the negative effects of the war and restoring Ukraine's innovation and creative ecosystem.

A video of the discussion and decision-making process is available here.

Photo: WIPO

The representatives of the Ukrainian IP Office discussed in-depth cooperation, exchange of experience, digital infrastructure and training of experts with the Executive Director of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), Ms Rena Lee, on the sidelines of the 64th WIPO Assembly.

Singapore's experience is extremely useful for Ukraine's intellectual property sector, in particular due to the challenges posed by the full-scale invasion of russia and the upcoming post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. It was stated by Olena Orliuk, Director of the IP Office:

"Our global priority is to provide maximum assistance to the national economy, victory against the aggressor, and preserve the lives and potential of our people. Our advantage remains in a high level of human potential and digitalization. These factors allow our economy not only to stay afloat, but also to demonstrate a slight growth; and our IP system to function despite constant threats."

Among other things, participants discussed:

• support of the development of IT resources, technical means for IP examination and administration;
• implementation of artificial intelligence for IP offices;
• joint training and exchange of experience on the administration of intellectual property rights and support for innovation;
• support for small and medium-sized businesses and creative industries;
• exchange of experience on intellectual property protection and IP management in the public sector.

"We are open to cooperation with all countries that share our values. Professional dialogue on IT, development of office infrastructure, support of expert and human resources training, innovation and creative sectors will allow us to fulfil our main tasks - preservation of potential and development of IP sphere," emphasized Bogdan Paduchak, The First Deputy Director of the IP Office.

The Reference:

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) is the national body that registers and is responsible for the administration of intellectual property rights in Singapore. The IPOS helps businesses leverage intangible assets and intellectual property for growth. Its mission is to leverage IP and networking expertise to drive Singapore's future growth.

In the framework of the 64th series of meetings of the WIPO Assemblies, Ukraine stressed that this decision would prevent russia's actions aimed at justifying and supporting its military aggression.

The 64th series of meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO continues in Switzerland. During the discussion of the report on the work of the Programme and Budget Committee and WIPO budgeting for 2024/2025 biennium, the reduction of funding for the WIPO External Office in Moscow was one of the most discussed issue. In particular, CHF 160,000 reduced the non-personnel budget for the WIPO External Office in the russian federation (80% reduction).

The Ukrainian delegation supported the proposal of the United States and made its own statement:

"russia's aggressive war against Ukraine continues to inflict deep damage and destroy the Ukrainian nation, its cultural heritage, intellectual and creative potential. The internationally wrongful acts committed by the russian federation undoubtedly affect the dissemination of WIPO's knowledge and projects, as well as the utilization of the outcomes of the External Office's activities. We call for an immediate reduction of funding for projects in the russian federation, including funding for the External Office in Moscow," said Bogdan Paduchak, The First Deputy Director of the IP Office.

Representatives of the delegations of the United Kingdom, the United States, Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Latvia, Estonia, and the Czech Republic spoke in support of the proposal.

At the same time, Ukraine emphasized that the funding cuts are interim and urgent measure. However, in the future, our country will insist on the complete closure of the office in Moscow:

"The only viable way to restore justice can only be achieved through the complete closure of the External Office in Moscow. This decision will not only allow to better direct WIPO funding towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, but also prevent russia's actions aimed at justifying and supporting its military aggression through WIPO resources, the TISCs network and global IP services," emphasized Olena Orliuk, The Director of the Ukrainian IP Office.