On Tuesday, 20 September, the President of the European Patent Office (EPO) António Campinos, Vice-President Corporate Services Nellie Simon, and Management Assistant in the President's Office Susanne Möhrlein, paid a visit to Latvia.
At the beginning of the visit, the guests met with the representatives of the Latvian Patent Office (LPO) - Deputy Director, Director of the Administrative and Financial Department Erik Rēķis, Director of the Patent Department Līga Lārmane, and Director of the Development and International Cooperation Department Terēze Vētra.
Both sides highly appreciated the existing cooperation, especially highlighting the implementation of educational programs, promotion of innovations and improvement of IT systems, making them more customer-friendly, easier to use and more efficient. During the meeting, the progress of the LPO’s current European cooperation projects was discussed. The EPO President gave an insight into the strategic direction in the area of activity and outlined the operational priorities and upcoming challenges of introducing the Unitary Patent, which will be launched in participating EU member states soon.
During the visit to Latvia, the EPO delegation headed by António Campinos met with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns, Deputy State Secretary on Law Policy Anda Smiltēna, LPO Director Agris Batalauskis, who joined the conversation remotely, and LPO Deputy Director Ēriks Rēkis. The guests welcomed the contribution of Latvian experts to the creation of the unified patent system, and also outlined the future cooperation projects, emphasizing innovation and IT. In his turn, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice Bordāns noted that the cooperation with the EPO plays an important role in the economic development of Latvia. Effective and easily accessible intellectual property protection enables our inventors to successfully and safely implement their ideas in international markets.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice Bordāns underlined that: “In the conditions of globalization, the world has entered a new phase of development, when technological revolutions take place every year, and this process will not stop. Therefore, the protection of intellectual property will have unprecedented value for the future economy. I would like to especially invite young people to be inventors, because patent owners have the future."
Summarizing the proceedings of the business visit, the LPO Deputy Director Rēkis admitted that effective and successful development and commercialization of Latvian innovations are unthinkable without close cooperation with the EPO. It is seen as the cornerstone for the protection of our inventions in the world, and we work purposefully to strengthen and improve it so that our entrepreneurs and implementers of innovative solutions that work in global markets are protected and receive income commensurate with their efforts.