Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SOFIA594
2007-05-16 10:04:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Sofia
Cable title:
BULGARIA HAPPY TO BE OFF 301; PLEDGES TO CONTINUE IPR
how-toVZCZCXRO6739 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHSF #0594 1361004 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 161004Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY SOFIA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3692 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
UNCLAS SOFIA 000594
SIPDIS
STATE FOR USTR LMOLNAR, JCHOE-GROVES, FOR EB/IPE JURBAN; SWILSON;
JBOGER AND EUR/NCE MNORDBERG
COMMERCE FOR SSAVICH
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON KIPR ETRD BU
SUBJECT: BULGARIA HAPPY TO BE OFF 301; PLEDGES TO CONTINUE IPR
EFFORTS
REF: State 56585
UNCLAS SOFIA 000594
SIPDIS
STATE FOR USTR LMOLNAR, JCHOE-GROVES, FOR EB/IPE JURBAN; SWILSON;
JBOGER AND EUR/NCE MNORDBERG
COMMERCE FOR SSAVICH
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON KIPR ETRD BU
SUBJECT: BULGARIA HAPPY TO BE OFF 301; PLEDGES TO CONTINUE IPR
EFFORTS
REF: State 56585
1. Bulgarian officials were very pleased to learn on April 30 that
Bulgaria was being removed from the Special 301 Watch List. Deputy
Minister of Culture Ina Kileva and Deputy Minister of Economy
Lachezar Borisov thanked us and assured us that Bulgaria would
continue to work hard to reduce Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
crimes.
2. Kileva informed us the government was setting up a focus group
to determine where to best re-target its public awareness campaign,
and said they will continue enforcement against IP violators -
especially in Internet crimes. She said a turning point for her
efforts occurred recently when major Bulgarian business-owners began
to realize that IP protection was not only important for those who
owned IP-related companies, but for all who sought to portray
Bulgaria as a law-abiding company to foreign partners.
3. Kileva went on to cite two areas where efforts need to be beefed
up: the media and the courts. She blamed the media for favoring the
"free IP" argument and not understanding the rights-holders'
position, and said the GOB will put on a seminar in the Fall to
bring U.S. and European academics and journalists to Bulgaria to
discuss the issue. The courts are not giving out deterrent
sentences in a way that will send a hard message, she said. Embassy
Sofia's interagency team - including DOJ, Public Affairs, USAID, FCS
and PolEc will work closely with the government on both of these
issues.
4. The chair of Parliament's Health Committee, Borislav Kitov,
assured us the regulatory fix to last year's Patent Law, which
removed the extra 5 year protection period, would be honored. When
we questioned whether it could be challenged by the competitors to
American patent-holders, he pledged that if regulatory measures
which give the extra period back to the patent-holders did not stand
up in court, his committee would address the issue directly with the
Minister of Economy. He clearly did not want to re-open the Patent
law at this point. No company has yet challenged the law.
5. Embassy Sofia would like to thank the IPR interagency team in
Washington, especially USTR, DOC, USPTO, DOJ and State, which
provided expertise, insight, advice and perspective in helping us
push the Bulgarians to this point. We'll need more of that in the
future, as will the Bulgarians, so they stay on the right path and
accelerate their momentum.
KARAGIANNIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR USTR LMOLNAR, JCHOE-GROVES, FOR EB/IPE JURBAN; SWILSON;
JBOGER AND EUR/NCE MNORDBERG
COMMERCE FOR SSAVICH
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON KIPR ETRD BU
SUBJECT: BULGARIA HAPPY TO BE OFF 301; PLEDGES TO CONTINUE IPR
EFFORTS
REF: State 56585
1. Bulgarian officials were very pleased to learn on April 30 that
Bulgaria was being removed from the Special 301 Watch List. Deputy
Minister of Culture Ina Kileva and Deputy Minister of Economy
Lachezar Borisov thanked us and assured us that Bulgaria would
continue to work hard to reduce Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
crimes.
2. Kileva informed us the government was setting up a focus group
to determine where to best re-target its public awareness campaign,
and said they will continue enforcement against IP violators -
especially in Internet crimes. She said a turning point for her
efforts occurred recently when major Bulgarian business-owners began
to realize that IP protection was not only important for those who
owned IP-related companies, but for all who sought to portray
Bulgaria as a law-abiding company to foreign partners.
3. Kileva went on to cite two areas where efforts need to be beefed
up: the media and the courts. She blamed the media for favoring the
"free IP" argument and not understanding the rights-holders'
position, and said the GOB will put on a seminar in the Fall to
bring U.S. and European academics and journalists to Bulgaria to
discuss the issue. The courts are not giving out deterrent
sentences in a way that will send a hard message, she said. Embassy
Sofia's interagency team - including DOJ, Public Affairs, USAID, FCS
and PolEc will work closely with the government on both of these
issues.
4. The chair of Parliament's Health Committee, Borislav Kitov,
assured us the regulatory fix to last year's Patent Law, which
removed the extra 5 year protection period, would be honored. When
we questioned whether it could be challenged by the competitors to
American patent-holders, he pledged that if regulatory measures
which give the extra period back to the patent-holders did not stand
up in court, his committee would address the issue directly with the
Minister of Economy. He clearly did not want to re-open the Patent
law at this point. No company has yet challenged the law.
5. Embassy Sofia would like to thank the IPR interagency team in
Washington, especially USTR, DOC, USPTO, DOJ and State, which
provided expertise, insight, advice and perspective in helping us
push the Bulgarians to this point. We'll need more of that in the
future, as will the Bulgarians, so they stay on the right path and
accelerate their momentum.
KARAGIANNIS