Albanian Patents and Trademarks Office

GENERAL ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al Sub-regional seminar on the commercialization and enforcment of intellectual property rights LL.M. Mrs. Sonila Elezi Head of Legal & International Relations Department ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al General Albanian Patents & Trademarks Office Establishment: 1994 Status: Under the dependency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy. General Custom Directory Establishment: Albanian Copyrights Office Establishment:

Status:is a central, public institution, under the authority of Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al Actors of the IPR System Legislation in IP Rights IP Office (ALPTO &Albanian Office for Copyrights - AOC) Courts Attorneys Custom Authorities General Persecutors Office

National council of Radio &Television General Office of Taxation Marketing Inspectorate of Internal ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al Legal Framework Law No 9947 date 07.07.2008 For Industrial Property Secondary Law DCM nr.1701 date 28.12.2008 For the registration of Patent DCM nr. 1702 date 28.12.2008 For the registration of Industrial Design DCM nr.1705 date 28.12.2008 For the registration of Indications of Origins

Civil Code Civil Procedure Code Administrative Procedure Code ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al TREATIES & CONVENTIONS RATIFIED FROM ALBANIA

Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO Convention) 30/06/1992 Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property 04/10/1995 Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks 04/10/1995 And the Protocol relating to that Agreement 30/07/2003 Patent Corporation Treaties (PCT) 1970 04/10/1995 Extension Agreement between the Government of Albania and the European Patent Organisation on the cooperation in the field of Patents Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the purposes of the registration of Marks 19/09/2003 Budapest Treaties on the International Recognition of the deposit of Micro organisms for the purposes of patent procedure 19/09/2003 Hague Agreement and Geneva Act Concerning the International deposit of Industrial Design 19/03/2007 Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification 24/07/2007 TRIPS Agreement 1994

ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al Legal Framework in AOC The Law On Copyrights and other rights related to it dated April 24, 2005, and The Decision of Ministers Council, dated April 19, 2006. Civil Code Penal Code

International Treaties Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works(Paris text 1971) Universal Copyright Convention 1952-1971; Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Phonograph Producers and Broadcasters 1961; WIPO Copyright Treaty 1996; WIPO Performances and phonographs Treaty 1996. ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al

The Judgment and Administration of Complaint Sector, has represented and represents ACO in 18 judgment processes next to First Degree Court of Tirana or to the Court of Appeal, where Office is invited to be in the degree of the third person, as an expert or as an accused part in contradiction with the final explanation of office. The judiciary has given its verdict about 7 cases. There are still in process 11 Judgment cases. The IP cases in the Albanian courts are judged in the Civil and Trade/Penal Sections (no special sections for IP cases). In general the duration of a judiciary process for the IP cases is 6 months up to 2 year. The duration depends on the complexity of the case and of the work-load of the judge. Attached is a detailed view of the cases on IP in the courts of different degrees in all territory: Civil cases Result no cases, judged or under the juridical process with object Infringement of Copyright in the First Degree Courts of main cities of Albania as: Gjirokastra,Kruja,Shkodra, Dibra, Mat, Kavaja,Lushjna Only the First Degree Court of Korca reports for one civil case with object The obligation of accused party (infringer of the right) to fulfill the contractual obligation ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al

Penal Cases During 2008 there are registered 4 penal procedures. 3 of these procedures are under process and only 1 of them has been concluded. 2 cases- in Durres 1 case- in Fier 1 case- in Lezha ( The Court of Lezha has declared guilty the accused party for carrying the penal violation Duplicating the work without the authorization of the author (article 148 &149 of the Penal Code) and punishment with a fine of 1.000.000 Appeal Court

During 2008, in the Appeal Court of Shkodra (one of main district of Albania) results 1 case ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al Administrative Procedure in Appeal Bord for 2008 24 Cases ( 23 cases for a patent and 1 cases for a trademarks) Civil Procedure in the Court of Tirana for 2008

4 cases for a trademarks and 1 cases for a patent Appel Court 2 cases ( for a trademarks) Recourse 3 cases trademarks Criminal Cases in General Persecutor Office for 2008 4 cases (trademarks) ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al General Directory of Custom Legal Framework Custom Code D.C.M No 205, date 13.04.1999 For the implementation of a Custom Code, Amended by D.C.M No 547, date 01.05.2008 During 2008

3 cases ( failed) the compliant was the right holder 1 cases the right holder want to take action for the seizer of goods 1 cases in process of application ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al Coordination and cooperation for combating counterfeiting Custom Authority Public Persecutors

Police against a economic crime Market inspectorates ( CAO) Exchange of information Preparation of the ground for the National Strategy in IP ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al Provisional & precautionary measures (often) Determining the sources of counterfeited and pirated goods (often) Destroying seized goods (not applicable from the judges)

ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION ALBANIAN PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS OFFICE www.alpto.gov.al At the end the most important is : The will to fight of the right holder !