AUA LL.M. Program Holds Round Table to Discuss Intellectual Property Legislation with IPRC & Ministry of Justice of Armenia

YEREVAN, Armenia – On March 6, 2014, the LL.M. Program of the American University of Armenia (AUA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Armenia and the Intellectual Property Rights Center (IPRC), held a round table discussion on Chapter 10 of the Republic of Armenia’s Civil Code on the topic of intellectual property (IP). The round table was attended by the Deputy Minister of Justice Mr. Aram Orbelyan, Advisor to the Minister of Justice and Chair of the Law Department of the French University in Armenia Mrs. Nora Sargsyan, and representatives from the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, the Armenian Intellectual Property Agency (Patent and Trademark Office), local law firms, and various private companies and organizations.

LL.M. Program Lecturer of intellectual property law Mr. Sargis Knyazyan, who initiated this discussion, stressed that the aim of the discussion was to bring policy-makers, business representatives, and academia together to discuss, exchange ideas, and find solutions to certain key provisions in the legislation regulating intellectual property in Armenia, in the light of the current law reform.

Participants discussed the importance and efficiency of more than 90 IP provisions of the Armenian Civil Code. They noted that the majority of the Chapter 10 provisions of the Civil Code are reiterated in various laws regulating different fields of IP in Armenia (e.g. “Trademark Law,” “Law on Copyright and Related Rights,” “Law on Inventions, Utility Models and Industrial Designs,” etc.). Based on their experience and international best practices, participants noted that the reiteration of the same or similar provisions in laws with different degrees of power may not only be inefficient, but may also cause various problems in the phase of enforcement.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.