All amendments, relating to patents, trademarks, geographical origin signs, signs indicating product and service originality, protection of topographies of semi-conductor products, industrial design, and copyrights, have in common the introduction of special councils to consider complaints to decisions by the State Institute for the Protection of Intellectual Property.
Amendments to the Law on Copyrights and Related Rights define the term "adequate compensation" which is paid to authors for the unauthorised reproduction of their works.
The amendments also regulate and simplify litigation and seizure procedures in the protection of copyrights.
The club of deputies of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the only one to take part in the debate, supported the government-sponsored bills.
In the continuation of the session, deputies discussed the final bill on amendments to the Law on Compulsory and Voluntary Pension Funds, which was supported by the HDZ, as well as by the Social Democrats (SDP).
Debating a bill on public procurement in the first reading, HDZ deputies said that it would result in more transparent procedures, while SDP deputies warned that the bill contained many confusing terms.
Ante Zigman, State Secretary at the Finance Ministry, said that the value of public procurement in 2006 was 30 billion kuna and that more than 43,000 contracts had been signed last year.
The new bill is aligned with European standards and it will mark the complete opening of the public procurement market and introduce free competition, Zigman said.
He added that the purpose of the bill was the establishment of an efficient and transparent system of public procurement and removal of administrative obstacles.
Jerko Leko of the SDP said the bill contained many "confusing" terms.
"Public procurement in Croatia contributes more to the perception of corruption in the Croatian society than to the protection of national interests and spending of public money," Leko said.
The parliament also briefly discussed the final bill on the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, which will provide for legal and psycho-social aid to victims of people trafficking.