The project, worth EUR1 million, is expected to be completed in October 2007. It is financed by the European Commission and implemented by the European Patent Office from Munich in cooperation with the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market from Alicante.
The two-year project is aimed at improving the investment environment and encourage economic development through the strengthening of the system for the implementation of intellectual property in Croatia.
DZIV director Zeljko Topic said the project also includes training of DZIV attorneys, administration and information system staff. He also pointed to the need for raising the awareness of the importance of the intellectual property protection.
He said the Bureau directed its activities at promoting the protection of the right to intellectual property and the strengthening of the entire system of the protection and use of intellectual property in Croatia. All this resulted in the adoption of a national strategy for the development of the intellectual property in Croatia for the period 2005-2010. This strategic document will refer to the adjustment of the entire intellectual property protection system (legal and institutional framework), the implementation of the protection and the application of intellectual property to the development of the economy, culture and other aspects of the society.