Minister of Trade and Industry, Endrit Shala, has offered support to strengthen the intellectual property system in Kosovo on the World Intellectual Property Day, adding that it will be a priority of the ministry until fulfilling all obligations deriving from the Stabilization Association Agreement with EU.
The Minister emphasized that intellectual property has a special economic importance for the business, it is estimated that 70-80% of a company's assets in countries knowledge-based economies consists of non-physical wealth or intellectual capital.
"The Ministry of Trade and Industry, through the Agency for Industrial Property and Market Inspectorate, is in an excellent cooperation with all Kosovo's intellectual property institutions. I consider that together we have managed to complete the primary and secondary legal infrastructure to ensure the most effective protection of intellectual property rights; to establish and continue regular meetings of the State Council on Intellectual Property; The Task Force Against Piracy, and now we are more committed to inform our citizens about the importance of these rights so that citizens and the business community are more aware of the importance of protecting industrial property products, "said Shala.
Shala said that, during last year the Industrial Property Agency has done a great job in reviewing applications and organizing promotional activities.
"These activities have had an impact in increasing the revenues and trademark applications compared to the previous year. Local ownership applications have increased by 40% and their growth comes due to the promotional activity carried out by the agency, for the awareness of business and the public on the importance of protecting their products with industrial property, "he said.
The Minister announced that MTI is committed to provide a safer environment for our customers.
"Even more, we want to make sure that through intellectual property protection we encourage new technological developments, promote innovation and inventions, and protect the brands reputation of domestic and international companies' brands," said Minister Shala.
