The European Commission has published a public consultation on the evaluation and modernisation of the legal framework for the enforcement of intellectual property rights

With this consultation, the EC seeks views from all interested parties, in particular holders of intellectual property rights, state institutions, representatives of judiciary and attorneys, intermediaries, consumers and civil society, on the question if the existing legal framework for the enforcement of intellectual property rights is still fit for purpose, especially in the on-line environment, or it requires certain amendments.
 
Directive 2004/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, being a subject matter of considerations, refers to all intellectual property rights and it sets down rules of civil procedures for the protection of intellectual property rights. EC emphasises horizontal significance of this Directive on this occasion as well, aiming at strengthening the protection of all intellectual property rights. The Directive requires the EU Member States to apply efficient legal measures to contribute to combating infringements of intellectual property rights, making a set of measures and actions available to right holders in order to protect their rights from infringement.
 
The focus is now on combating infringements of intellectual property rights on commercial scale.
 
For this public consultation, the EC has prepared five different questionnaires, each one intended for a specific stakeholder group, as mentioned above. The public consultation will run until 15 April 2016 and the participation is possible via the following link.

Datum novosti: 10.12.2015.