For Immediate Release
October 24, 2000

Government and Business Leaders from Baltic States, Europe and the United States to meet in Riga

International Conference to Focus on Counterfeits, Trademark Violations and Patent Infringements in the Baltic States

Riga – Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian senior government officials, judges and intellectual property specialists will gather this week in Riga to meet European and U.S. government officials and business executives from world-famous companies to develop joint strategies in fighting trademark violations, patent infringements and counterfeits in the Baltic states.

The Baltic Region Seminar on Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement, sponsored by the Coalition for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), the Patent and Trademark Office of Latvia and the Patent Bureau of Lithuania, will be held on 25-26 October 2000 at the Latvian Society House in Riga, Latvia.  Conference keynote speakers include Latvia’s Minister of Justice Ingrida Labucka and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Administrator for External Affairs Robert Stoll.

The Seminar will focus on the growing problem in the Baltic States of counterfeits, trademark violations and patent infringements, which have costly financial and other consequences for consumers, governments and businesses.  In addition to financial losses to business and government from the violation of intellectual property rights, consumer health and safety is put at risk, as shoppers unknowingly buy potentially hazardous counterfeit products.

Intellectual property concerns are high on the European Union’s expansion agenda, which includes Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.  A special panel on Baltic accession to the EU will be one of seven expert panels that cover topics ranging from foreign investment and famous trademarks to the role of customs authorities and effective anti-counterfeiting efforts.

"All three Baltic Countries have enacted intellectual property rights laws that are fundamentally in line with TRIPS and with the guidelines for accession into the European Union," Chair of CIPR’s Executive Policy Committee and Diageo plc Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property, Mary Ann Alford, said.

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 "But laws alone do not make an effective IPR regime," she continued.  "The key to protecting intellectual property is fair and effective enforcement, implementation and adjudication of the laws on the books.  It is not enough that a country’s laws comply with international obligations and standards," Alford stated.

Latvia and Estonia are members of the WTO and Lithuania will officially join the international trade group in December.  As members of the global trading body, all three countries are obligated to adhere to international standards of intellectual property protection and enforcement. 

"Trademark and patent infringements are significant obstacles to any country seeking to expand foreign investment and international trade," CIPR Vice President Tom Thomson said.  "While all three countries have made significant progress in enacting intellectual property laws and regulations, problems with law enforcement and impartial court adjudication persist."  Thomson also noted that for the first time this year, Latvia and Lithuania were placed on the United States Trade Representative’s Special 301 ‘Watch List’ for failing to provide adequate IPR protection.

Supreme Court Justices from all three countries will participate in a panel discussion focused on the role of the courts in enforcing intellectual property rights.  Judge Ingo Beckedorf of the Fifteenth Senate District Court of Hamburg, Germany will also participate in the panel to provide an international perspective on the role of courts in IPR enforcement.

The goal of the seminar is to "provide a forum for sharing information and strategies between government officials and the private sector – both foreign and domestic – to advance intellectual property protection and enforcement in the Baltic Countries," Latvia’s PTO General Director Zigrids Aumeisters said.  Lithuania’s PTO Director Rimvydas Naujokas will join Aumeisters in delivering the welcoming address to the seminar participants.

"CIPR’s founding principle is public-private partnerships," said Alford.  "Private sector and government leaders that are working together, not occasionally, but daily, to advance intellectual property rights in the Baltic Countries, the CIS nations and throughout the former Soviet Union."

Business and other private sector leaders from the region, Europe and the United States will participate as panelists and speakers during the two-day conference.  Some of the world’s leading experts on trademarks, patents and geographic indications will gather in Riga to add global expertise and comparative experiences to local efforts.  Conference participants will also include senior government officials from the three Baltic States, among them, patent and trademark officials, customs authorities and representatives from various government ministries.  Other participants and speakers include senior representatives from the European Commission and the United States.

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The participation of the region's judges, legislators and regulatory officials was made possible in part by a grant from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which assisted in bringing to the Conference more than 20 government officials from the region.

CIPR is a private-public partnership dedicated to advancing intellectual property rights protection, enforcement and reform in the Baltics, CIS countries and other nations of the former Soviet Union.  Through public education, legislative action and legal reform, CIPR works with government and private sector partners to establish transparent IPR regimes that adhere to international standards.

CIPR's lawyers and public affairs professionals work throughout the Baltic Region and countries of the former Soviet Union from offices in Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, Moscow, Kyiv, Almaty and Chisinau.  CIPR also has offices in Washington D.C. and London, which focus on generating support for IPR reform in the region from the United States and European governments.

For more information about the Seminar, contact Arnolds Karklis, CIPR Conference Administrator at The PBN Company at (371) 728-0759 or at .