On June 26th, The Democracy for Development Institute has held the last salon for this season in Pristina with the topic “Dealing with the Truth: How Much Is the Intellectual Property Protected?”
Part of the panel in this salon were Atdhe Lila, Senior Copyright Officer at the Office of Copyright and Related Rights; Driton Hapçiu, Executive Director at Cacttus; and Florin Lata, Lawyer – JUDEX.
The focus of the discussion was on intellectual property, mainly in terms of technology, programmers and IT. In this regard, it was emphasized that standards need to be applied because as a society, we remain unaware of the fact as to how much we contribute to the illegal industry through buying pirated goods and products, and consequently damaging companies that have created the ideas and implemented them.
According to the panellists, Kosovo has had relevant institutions for the protection of intellectual property and copyright for the past 10 years and they mainly have had an informative and promotional role for citizens who continue to violate the intellectual property laws. In addition to informative institutions, Courts, Customs and Police also investigate and deal with such cases consistently. Apart from the mentioned institutions, intellectual property is correspondingly regulated by the Constitution of Kosovo as well.
During discussion, was expressed that it is very difficult to control the violations, especially in the digital domain since it has taken global dimensions and their control is extremely costly, particularly for the budget of the Republic of Kosovo. On the other hand, physical copies are more accessible and controlled, where for over a year Kosovo Institutions have managed to seize about 1000 copies of books.
Conclusively, the panellists shared several Recommendations, highlighting the patenting of authors’ works and creations, as well as enhancing innovation and innovative opportunities for young people, while at the same time raising awareness of the legal market and acting in conformity with the laws.
This salon was moderated by Ermal Sadiku, from Linkplus; whereas the editorial will be written by Nora Hasani, Managing Director at the German Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo.
The realization of the salon is made possible by the funding of the German Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo.
