June 28, 2014 at 4:58 pm
Knowledge is the future of each society and the best way to reach society’s full potential in terms of development and economic growth. That is why the issue of intellectual property rights in Serbia goes beyond adjusting to comply with European standards – it is an issue on a much larger scale.
Within the panel discussion “EU access agenda – Protection of intellectual property – Ethical imperatives”, organized by Public Policy Institute, the participants stated that Serbia needs to change its intellectual property laws and invest more in the war against piracy before joining European Union.
Experts from Serbia and European Union agreed that Serbian Law on Copyright and Related Rights is not in agreement with European Standards, nor with the Serbian Constitution. One of the main conditions for Serbia to join European Union are strict laws concerning piracy and legal protection for those who are part of the creative industry in Serbia. According to analysts, industries dealing with copyright and related rights participate in the annual gross national income (GNI) with almost 4%, which is more than other industries, such as hospitality industry. So it is not surprising that IP experts are trying to raise awareness and get the public attention on this matter.
Serbian Minister in charge of European integration, Jadranka Joksimovic, stated during the panel that Serbia needs to work hard on changing the Copyright Law, but also on changing the public’s opinion on this subject, in order to achieve a triple effect – on the economy, on research and development and on the average consumer.
It remains to be seen who will be the leader of these changes, and how long will this process take in terms of time, and also resources.
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