SUCCESSFUL USPTO IPR WORKSHOP CONCLUDES

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001674 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EB/TPP/MTA/IPC COMMERCE FOR USPTO/JTRACY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD EIND PREL KIPR KMPI MU SUBJECT: SUCCESSFUL USPTO IPR WORKSHOP CONCLUDES ¶1. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) sponsored a successful MEPI-funded intellectual property rights workshop for judges, prosecutors, investigators, and customs officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Office of Public Prosecution, and Royal Oman Police. The workshop, part of a technical assistance program to raise IPR awareness in advance of implementation of the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement, ran from December 3-6 in Muscat. Over forty participants attended the first two days of the workshop, which focused on judicial issues, while over thirty attended the latter two days, which concentrated on investigative-related topics. ¶2. The Ambassador highlighted the importance of protecting intellectual property rights in his December 3 welcoming remarks to judicial and prosecutorial participants. He emphasized that the enforcement of intellectual property rights was an essential component of government efforts to safeguard public health, encourage technological development, and spur economic growth through the development of new enterprises. Ministry of Commerce and Industry Under Secretary Ahmad bin Hassan al-Thib Baomar stressed Oman's SIPDIS continuing commitment to protecting IPR, accentuated by the government's accession to the WTO in 2000. The event drew favorable media coverage of joint U.S.-Omani efforts to protect IPR, as well as general MEPI technical assistance. GRAPPO