Letter from the Chair

Dear Colleague,

Welcome to the CIPR website. Here you will find helpful materials collected or created since our inception in 1999 as a public-private partnership advancing IP rights, enforcement, and reform in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and other countries of the region.

During your visit, you may be interested to read about our current mission and policy priorities; becoming a member of CIPR; our long history and activities in the region; or relevant international IPR treaties & agreements.

In Spring 2011, I succeeded Lucy Nichols of Nokia to become Chair of the CIPR Executive Policy Committee. During Lucy's tenure, CIPR actively and successfully promoted the evolution of IP regimes in the region and helped increase collaboration among IP rights holders, legal service providers, and government organizations.

Going forward, CIPR will continue to prioritize IP issues important to business and government operations, such as: the development of strong IP border protection for Customs Union member states; increased cooperation between national, regional, and foreign law enforcement authorities; and improved IP legislation to better combat counterfeiting, piracy, and other IP infringements. CIPR will also promote legal frameworks that encourage regional innovation, foster domestic economic growth, and support foreign investment.

As further progress is made, we are hopeful that Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus will achieve their goals of gaining membership in the WTO – goals supported by CIPR for more than a decade.

I look forward to working with you and other IP stakeholders to address these and other emerging challenges. Please do not hesitate to contact me - or Tom Thomson, Executive Director - if you would like more information about CIPR.

Sincerely yours,

Jim Barnes
Chair, CIPR Executive Policy Committee and
Manager, EAME Intellectual Property, Caterpillar