Intellectual Property Rights

Any actions conducted by users on the Internet are influencing authors of intellectual works and other corresponding right holders. In other words, it is almost impossible to process data on the Internet, without potentially affecting someone’s intellectual property rights. The advent of the World Wide Web, storing parts of web site information on computer memory, transmitting messages over the electronic mail, all of these actions include reproduction of copyright protected materials.

Law and Internet Foundation possesses serious long-term experience in the field of intellectual property protection in the electronic space. Its experts are representatives of industrial property to the Patent Office of Republic of Bulgaria, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market with respect to national, international and Community trade marks. The Foundation repeatedly has provided consultations, with regard to complicated issues, involving domain names, intellectual property on software and databases, etc.

In 2007 two experts of Law and Internet Foundation were selected by the Czech Arbitration Court as panellists on the issues, regarding alternative dispute resolutions (ADR) for the .eu domain.

In addition, in 2007 Law and Internet Foundation team finished a project, the objective of which was to contribute to overcoming the gap between the current applicable law and the IT sector realities and particularly in the areas of intellectual property protection and combating cybercrime in Bulgaria. The project was aimed at elaborating an analysis of the state of affairs in the protection of intellectual property, drafting proposals for the amendment of relevant Bulgarian legislation, organizing trainings for magistrates, lawyers and experts in the field of ICT, concerning the specifics of the protection of the intellectual property on the Internet. The activities were accomplished with the financial support of the United States Department of State.

Again in 2007 a project was finished, including a working seminar for experts from all over the Europe, realized by the initiative of Law and Internet Foundation and with the financial support of NATO. One of the topics discussed was infringement of intellectual property rights, including measures that could be taken for its limitation.

In 2009 the Law and Internet Foundation experts successfully developed the project "Justice in the Digital Era - Strengthening Capacity of Magistrates in Bulgaria and Romania to Investigate, Prosecute and Produce Judgements in Cases Involving Cybercrime" which was implemented with the financial support of European Commission, Directorate General "Justice, Freedom and Security" under the Criminal Justice 2007 Programme, where one of the main topics was again intellectual property protection on Internet.