AUA Extension Hosts First Intellectual Property Summer Academy

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YEREVAN, Armenia – From June 22 to July 3, 2015 the American University of Armenia (AUA) Extension program and the Intellectual Property Rights Center of Armenia held the first Intellectual Property (IP) Summer Academy at AUA. The program was sponsored by the Commercial Law Development Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lecturers included several local experts specializing in intellectual property protection and U.S. experts, including Ashlyn J. Lembree, Director of the Intellectual Property and Transaction Clinic at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Center and Tara A. Nealey, a patent attorney specializing in a wide range of biotechnology and life science inventions.

Intellectual property lawyers and practitioners from Armenia, as well as Georgia, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, representing different firms, attended the IP Summer Academy. Topics covered in the first week included the role, functions, and authorities of the Armenian Intellectual Property Agency, the Customs Office, and the police, related to IP protection and enforcement, respectively. Considerable time was devoted to copyright legislation, patent filing and registration, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and filing a trademark application through the national procedure, as well as the international procedure governed by the Madrid Protocol.  The second week was dedicated to understanding the U.S. and European intellectual property systems and associated legislation and quasi-judicial administrative proceedings related to patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

This cooperative arrangement between AUA Extension and the Intellectual Property Rights Center of Armenia, along with the financial assistance of the Commercial Law Development Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce is a strong partnership that establishes grounds for continued work in the area of intellectual property protection.

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.