A Memorandum of Understanding between the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) and the Israel Patent Office (ILPO) was signed on May 7, this year, in Jerusalem. The signing took place during the Bilateral Meeting at the AGEPI and ILPO leadership level, the delegation of the Republic of Moldova being headed by Lilia Bolocan, Director General of AGEPI.

The visit of the Republic of Moldova’s delegation to Jerusalem was undertaken at the invitation of the Director of the Israel Patent Office and aimed at boosting the Moldovan-Israeli bilateral relations in the field of industrial property and establishing an efficient and mutually beneficial cooperation framework between the specialized offices of the two countries.

The relations between AGEPI and ILPO have a history of more than 20 years, the first Cooperation Agreement between the two offices being signed in 1995. The current Memorandum aims to strengthen the bilateral relations between the Republic of Moldova and Israel in the field of intellectual property and to contribute to the creation of a strategic partnership between the two specialized institutions, including through joint projects.

During the visit, the AGEPI delegation had the opportunity to get acquainted with the activity of the Israel Patent Office, but also to present the latest developments and achievements in the field of protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights registered in the Republic of Moldova, to promote opportunities offered by the national patent system for the innovative industry. The priority directions of the cooperation between the two offices were also identified during the Meeting. Thus, the parties agreed to make exchanges of information, knowledge and experience in all areas of office activity, including in the field of examination and granting protection, staff training and improvement, promotion of intellectual property knowledge and the growth of general culture in the field. Particular attention was paid to the institutional development and technology of the offices and agreed the opportunity to transfer best practices between the two offices. At the end of her visit to ILPO, AGEPI Director General invited her Israeli counterpart to the Republic of Moldova.