Investing in innovation still a risky bussines

Moldovan artists and producers become more positive in the fact that trademarks, industrial design rights, copyright and other rights that pertain to intellectual property must be protected, responsible persons at the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) say. In 15 years of its activity, the agency received 81,500 applications for registration of intellectual property. The agency has issued titles of protection for about 20,000 patents and certificates. Most of the granted patents belong to national holders, AGEPI’s deputy director, Ion Daniliuc, asserts. Moldova has ratified 30 conventions, arrangements, international and regional treaties regulating the protection of intellectual property. On the occasion of 15th anniversary since the foundation of AGEPI and the foundation of the national system of intellectual property protection, Chisinau hosts a seminar dedicated to the Management of Intellectual Property. The event meets representatives of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Eurasian Patent Organisation, as well as experts from Romania. Speaking about innovations, Chairman of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova Gheorghe Duca affirmed that the entrepreneurs don not operate substantial and sustainable investment in the innovation activity, because of the high risks in the sphere. According to Gheorghe Duca, they fear that the patents registered in Moldova are easily utilised by other countries, with sufficient financial sources, the patents being implemented with slight modifications. Duca asserts that the draft of the Development Plan of Moldova provides the increase of the number of patents by 40 to 50 % until 2011 and ensuring their protection. Another proposal refers to the stimulation of patenting inventions abroad and the growth of public and private expenses for research up to 1% of the GDP and innovation up to 0.5%. 40,000 international trademarks, 4,600 registered industrial designs and more than 1,200 national patents were available on the territory of the Republic of Moldova on January 1, 2007. 43 projects have been implemented in Moldova in 2007, being funded from budget resources (MDL 8.3 million) and private capital (5.5 million).