In light of the SME Week 2020, the European Union Intellectual Property Office held an online seminar in collaboration with the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses and the Maltese Commerce Department on Intellectual Property and Illicit Trade.
With a wide spectrum of speakers, this online forum has been interesting and useful for Intellectual Property attorneys and owners of small businesses alike. The seminar started off by an opening speech from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses, who shed light on Malta’s efforts to promote the registration of IP, and to place Malta on the map when it comes to innovation. This was followed by an opening address from EUIPO Executive Director Cédric Archambeau, who emphasized the concerning effects of illicit trade during an international pandemic. Moreover, Mr. Archambeau highlighted the importance of the use of IP rights by SMEs.
The seminar continued with the valuable input of a number of key players in the field of intellectual property and illicit goods, including Director General of the Commerce Department, Director of Industrial Property Registrations Department and, EUIPO Seconded National Experts. A number of relevant topics were dealt with during the course of the morning, including the Maltese Craft Industry, Dual-Use goods, cybertheft and Intellectual Property within the Innovation Process.
Dr Susanna Deguara from our Intellectual Property team attended the seminar on behalf of Chetcuti Cauchi.
