Macedonia News Archives
January 27, 2012
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Air Fresheners, Shoe Polish, Cell Phones
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period December 26, 2011 – January 15, 2012, the customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of December 26, 2011 – January 1, 2012 the customs officials seized 4,950 pine tree-shaped air fresheners. The air fresheners originated in Turkey and were discovered in the luggage of a Kosovo citizen.
On January 10, the officials at the Bogorodica border crossing, southern Macedonia, seized 43,200 35-ml cans of shoe polish bearing the mark of Ilirija, a Slovenian manufacturer of hair and skin care products, toiletries and cleaning products. The goods originated in China and were discovered in a truck with Macedonian license plates. The total market value of these goods is estimated at approximately EUR 24,500 (USD 31,400).
On January 13, the customs mobile units at the Alexander the Great Airport in the Macedonian capital Skopje thwarted an attempt to smuggle 770 cell phones, 240 of which are suspected of being counterfeit and bear the marks iPhone 4, HTC, Nokia, and Samsung. The goods were transported by two Kosovo citizens, holders of Serbian passports, and their market value is estimated at EUR 93,600 (USD 120,000).
In the week of January 9-15, the customs officials at the Blace border crossing, on the border with Kosovo, seized 250 sets of auto brakes bearing the mark of O-Pure VW, 20 women’s wallets bearing the mark of Louis Vuitton, 33,800 CDs and DVDs bearing the mark of Princo and two sets of speakers bearing the mark of Pioneer. The goods, which were found in a truck with Turkish license plates, originated in Dubai and were intended for the Kosovo market.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
December 27, 2011
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Clothes, Cell Phones, Pills
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period December 12–19, 2011, the customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of December 12-18, the customs officials seized 80 blouses and shirts bearing the marks of Lacoste, Emporio Armani, Polo, Louis Vuitton and Tommy Hilfiger. The goods originated in Turkey and were intended for the Macedonian market.
On December 19, the customs officials seized 360 cell phones under suspicion that they infringe the intellectual property rights of Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. The phones, which were exported from Bulgaria and were intended for the Macedonian market, fully resemble phones of the mentioned brands, but instead of the brand names, they carry the word “PriVileg”.
On the same day, the customs officials also seized 2,952 20-mg pills bearing the mark of Cialis, used for treating erectile dysfunction, believed to be counterfeit. The pills arrived in the capital of Skopje by mail from China and were intended for a Macedonian citizen.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
November 29, 2011
Macedonian Customs Seize Razors, Eaux de Toilette, Batteries
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period October 26-November 21, the Macedonian customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
During the last week of October, the officials seized 18,288 disposable razors bearing the marks of Gillette and Bic, 20,992 batteries bearing the mark of Sony, 2,000 mobile phone cases bearing the mark of Police, 500 digital video tapes bearing the mark of Panasonic, 260 women’s bags bearing the mark of Chanel, 53 blouses bearing the marks of Emporio Armani and Lacoste, and 17 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Adidas.
In the week of October 31-November 6, the officials seized 2,994 deodorants and 180 eaux de toilette bearing the mark of AXE, 1,086 sunglasses bearing the marks of D&G, Chanel, Oakley, Christian Dior, Gucci, Ferre, Versace, Louis Vuitton and Versus, as well as 406 pairs of socks bearing the marks of Emporio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger and Boss.
In the week of November 7-13, the customs officials seized 18,096 eaux de toilette and cosmetic sets containing perfumes, deodorants, and eaux de toilette bearing the marks of Chanel, Armani, Kenzo, Lacoste, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Joop, Dior, Boss, Givenchy Angels and Demons, Brut, Azzaro, Amor Amor, Yves Saint Laurent, Carolina Herrera, Bondage, Charlie, X5-Paco Rabanne, Malizia, 1 Million Paco Rabanne and Cool. A total of 1,595 tracksuit pants bearing the mark of Adidas, 20,250 disposable razors bearing the marks of Bic and Gillette Mach3, 12,590 batteries bearing the marks of Panasonic and Sony, and 600 shaving creams bearing the mark of Gillette were also seized.
In the week of November 14-20, the officials seized 60 mobile phones bearing the mark of Samsung.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian, Albanian, and Bulgarian license plates, originated in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, China and Vietnam, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
October 28, 2011
Amendments to Law on Customs Measures for Protection of IP Rights Enter into Force in Macedonia
The amendments to Macedonia’s Law on Customs Measures for Protection of Intellectual Property Rights entered into force on October 11, 2011.
One of the most significant changes is the possibility for the Macedonian Customs to cancel a granted Customs Watch Application in case the trademark owner violates the statutory provisions.
Until now, if the trademark owner failed to confirm that the seized goods are counterfeit within the 10-day deadline, the customs released the goods. According to the new provisions, temporarily seized goods suspected of being counterfeit may be released only if the trademark owner certifies that the goods are not counterfeit.
If the trademark owner fails to notify the customs authorities whether the goods infringed intellectual property rights within the given deadline, the Customs Watch Application may be cancelled and the trademark owner in that case loses the right to file a Customs Watch Application for the same trademark for a period of one year.
This change is in line with the longstanding policy of zero tolerance for counterfeits propagated by the Macedonian Customs.
For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska-Stojkovska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 135
Macedonia Ratifies London Agreement
On September 26, 2011, the Macedonian Assembly ratified the London Agreement, formally the Agreement on the application of Article 65 of the Convention on the Grant of European Patents.
The agreement will enter into force on the first day of the fourth month after Macedonia deposits the instrument of accession.
According to the current patent legislation in Macedonia, the translation of European patent claims and drawings into Macedonian is required.
The Agreement was concluded on October 17, 2000 with the aim to decrease translation costs for European patents granted under the European Patent Convention. It is an optional agreement between European Patent Organization member states.
For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska-Stojkovska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 132
Macedonian Customs Seize Cassette/CD Players, Winter Jackets, Boots
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period September 26-October 23, 2011, the customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of September 26 – October 2, the Macedonian customs officials seized 24 cassette and CD players bearing the mark of Panasonic.
On October 7, the officials seized 863 winter jackets bearing the mark of D&G, 416 winter jackets bearing the mark of GF Ferre, and 307 pairs of jeans bearing the mark of D&G.
In the week of October 17-23, the officials seized 2,720 pairs of men and women’s boots bearing the mark of Alpina and 99 pairs of children’s pants, jeans, blouses and tracksuits bearing the marks of Mexx, Okaidi, and Adidas.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian license plates, originated in China, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
Also, on October 6, 2011, the customs authorities destroyed 3,410 shirts bearing the mark of Armani, after it was established that they are counterfeit. The shirts, which were seized on March 23, 2011 and originate from Turkey, were destroyed at the premises of the Merkjuri clothing factory in Gevgelija, southern Macedonia.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
September 23, 2011
Macedonian Customs Seize Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, Gucci, Sony Counterfeits
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period August 27 – September 11, 2011, the customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
On August 27, the Macedonian customs officials at the Bogorodica border crossing, on the border with Greece, seized 1,716 pairs of sneakers bearing the marks of Adidas, Puma, and Nike.
In the week of August 29 – September 4, the officials seized 619 sports bags bearing the marks of Adidas, Kappa, Nike, and Puma, and 120 sets containing a mobile phone charger and two batteries bearing the mark of Sony.
In the week of September 5-11, the officials seized 538 T-shirts, shirts and underwear bearing the marks of Tommy Hilfiger, Paul & Shark, Polo, La Martina, Burberry, Zilli, Dolce Gabbana, Emporio Armani, and Bjorn Borg; 17 belts bearing the marks of Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Hermes; 22 watches bearing the marks of Breitling, D&G, Glasfjutte, Bvlgari, Cartier, Armani, Gucci, Guess, and Patek Philippe; eight wallets bearing the marks of Louis Vuitton and Prada; and 144 pairs of women’s shoes bearing the mark of D&G.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Turkish, German, and Serbian license plates, originated in China, and were intended for the Macedonian and Bosnian markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
August 30, 2011
Macedonian Customs Seized Adidas, Diesel, Panasonic Counterfeits
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period July 20-August 21, 2011, the customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
On July 20, the customs officials seized 814 slippers, sports bags, tracksuits, shirts, shorts and caps bearing the marks of Adidas and Diesel.
In the week of August 1-7, the officials seized 40 pairs of shoes bearing the marks of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Burberry, and 30 T-shirts bearing the mark of Adidas.
In the week of August 15-21, the customs officials seized 7,000 pairs of socks bearing the marks of Reebok and Kappa, 11,950 batteries and 500 digital videotapes bearing the mark of Panasonic, 11,750 disposable razors bearing the mark of Bic, and 200 calculators bearing the mark of Casio.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian and Turkish license plates, originated in China, Turkey and Greece, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
July 25, 2011
Amendments to Macedonian Law on Civil Court Procedure in Force as of September 9
The Macedonian Law on Civil Court Procedure has undergone certain changes, which will become effective on September 9, 2011. A few amendments affect intellectual property right owners potentially involved in civil court procedures in Macedonia.
One of the changes concerns the information that the plaintiff must provide when filing the lawsuit. Before the amendments, the plaintiff had to provide only the name, address and state of incorporation. Once the amendments enter into force, the company registration number or value added tax (VAT) identification number would also need to be supplied.
The amended law also enables the parties in a lawsuit to present their own expert evidence before the court. So far only the court was entitled to order expert evidence. The Ministry of Justice will publish an official list of expert witnesses soon.
There is a change in the legal remedies as well. Up until now, there were no limitations for filing an appeal before the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia. Once the amendments enter into force, an appeal before the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia can be filed only for intellectual property cases where money claims exceed approximately EUR 16,000 (USD 23,000).
For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska-Stojkovska.
Source: PETOŠEVIĆ
Macedonian Customs Detain Energy Drinks, Razors, Apparel
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period May 30-June 22, 2011, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of May 30-June 5, the customs officials detained 19,305 liters of energy drinks bearing the mark of Boss of the Boss, 840 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of All Star, 286 pairs of children’s sandals bearing the mark of Nike, and 84 balls bearing the mark of Adidas.
In the week of June 6-12, the officials detained 25,920 disposable razors bearing the mark of Gilitttey, resembling the logo of Gillette, as well as 2,800 disposable razors bearing the mark of Gillette. The customs officials also detained 2,935 shirts, tracksuits, Bermuda shorts, bags, and belts bearing the marks of Adidas, Puma, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Converse, Chanel, Kappa, Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Dolce & Gabbana, as well as 149 soccer balls bearing the mark of Adidas.
In the week of June 13-19, the officials detained 26 pairs of men’s jeans bearing the mark of Emporio Armani, while on June 22, the officials detained a total of 2,093 shirts, soccer jerseys, and slippers bearing the marks of Adidas, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Tailor, and Dior.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian and Turkish license plates, originated in China and Turkey, and were intended for the Macedonian, Georgian, and Kosovo markets.
The Macedonian Customs Administration also destroyed 1,120 shirts and 1,160 tracksuits bearing the mark of Cucci in Gevgelija, southern Macedonia, on June 16, 2011, following confirmation that the detained goods, which originated in Turkey, were counterfeits. If they had been sold as originals on the market, the total value of the detained goods would have been approximately EUR 227,700 (USD 322,500).
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
June 27, 2011
Official Fee for Customs Watch Applications Waived in Macedonia
On June 20, 2011, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Macedonia adopted a decision to waive the official fee for customs watch applications. This decision enters into force on June 28, 2011.
Up to now, the official fee for a customs watch application was EUR 100 (USD 142), while the official renewal fee was EUR 40 (USD 57).
For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska-Stojkovska at our Macedonia Office.
June 21, 2011
Macedonian Customs Destroy Adidas, D&G, Louis Vuitton Counterfeits
On May 14 and June 1, 2011, the Macedonian Customs Administration destroyed a significant quantity of counterfeit goods, originating in Turkey and China and intended for the EU and Kosovo markets.
The fake goods included:
- 24,455 shirts, jeans, Bermuda shorts and tracksuits bearing the marks of Adidas, Replay, D&G, Levi’s, Diesel, G-Star, Versace and Louis Vuitton;
- 3,424 pairs of shoes bearing the marks of Adidas and D&G;
- 324 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Puma; and
- 562 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Adidas.
The goods were destroyed at the Drisla landfill in the capital of Skopje, in the presence of the brands’ legal representatives and the media.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Macedonian Customs Detain Counterfeit T-shirts, Swimsuits, Filters
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period May 16-30, 2011, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
During the week of May 16-22, the officials detained 1,073 short-sleeved shirts and sweatpants bearing the marks of G-Star, Levi’s and Kappa.
On May 23, the officials detained 468 T-shirts bearing the mark of Boss, while on May 24 and 25, the officials detained 9,500 men’s swimsuits and 300 T-shirts bearing the mark of Adidas and 550 T-shirts bearing the mark of Kappa.
On May 30, the officials detained 3,722 air, fuel and oil filters for passenger and freight vehicles, bearing the mark of Mercedes.
The goods were found in trucks with Macedonian and Turkish license plates, originated in Turkey and China, and were intended for the Macedonian, Albanian, Kosovo and Croatian markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
May 26, 2011
Macedonian Customs Detain Counterfeit Sunglasses, Deodorants, Apparel
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period April 18 – May 1, 2011, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of April 18-24, the customs officials detained 192 pairs of trainers bearing the mark of Converse, 219 tracksuits, tracksuit pants and T-shirts bearing the marks of Adidas and Nike, 120 bags bearing the mark of Louis Vuitton, and 1,193 deodorants bearing the marks of Gucci Rush, Versace, Chanel Chance, Chanel Allure Homme Sport, and Chanel Coco.
During the week of April 25-May 1, the officials detained 12,900 sunglasses resembling Ray-Ban models, as well as 500 men’s shorts bearing the mark of Adidas and 560 T-shirts bearing the marks of Converse, Nike, and G-Star.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian and Turkish license plates, originated in China and Turkey, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
April 27, 2011
International Convention for Protection of New Varieties of Plants to Enter Into Force in Macedonia
The International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants will enter into force in Macedonia on May 4, 2011.
On this date, Macedonia will become a member of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, which was founded by the Convention.
The Macedonian Government deposited the instrument of accession to the Convention on April 4, 2011.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: WIPO
Macedonian Customs Destroy Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Gillette, Diesel Counterfeits
On March 17 and 18, 2011, the Macedonian Customs Administration destroyed a significant quantity of counterfeit goods, originating in Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates. The goods were destroyed in a furnace at a factory in the town of Kavadarci, south-central Macedonia, in the presence of the trademark representatives and the media.
The goods that were destroyed included:
- 8,200 textile articles bearing the logos of D&G, Lacoste, Nike, Levi’s, Adidas, Diesel, G-Star, Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, and Puma;
- 7,000 pairs of footwear bearing the logos of Puma, Adidas, Reebok, All Star, Nike, and Converse;
- 70 sweaters bearing the logo of Camel;
- 9,000 cosmetic products bearing the logos of Calvin Klein, Chanel, D&G, Gucci, Kenzo, Davidoff, Adidas, Joop, and Lacoste;
- 620 pieces of technical equipment bearing the logos of Panasonic and Nokia;
- 130,000 pieces of PVC bags bearing the logo of Tommy Hilfiger;
- 54,000 pieces of labels, buttons and emblems with logos of Lacoste, Nike, Adidas, Versace, Levis, and Diesel;
- 20,500 pieces of accessories bearing the logos of Gillette, D&G, Mercedes, Nike, and Opel;
- 18,000 kg of washing powder bearing the logo of Ariel.
You can see the photos of the destruction here.
Macedonian Customs Director Vanco Kargov explained for Macedonian daily Vest that over the last two years the Customs released 3,360 counterfeit shoes and clothing items on the market because the trademark representatives failed to initiate procedures for destruction.
“If the representative confirms that the intellectual property rights have been infringed, he or she has to file a request for destruction of the goods with the Customs Administration. If the representatives establish that the goods are not counterfeit, the Customs releases the goods. It often happens that a representative informs that he has no interest in taking action. In such event, the Customs Administration must release the goods on the market, despite the suspicions that the goods are counterfeit,” Kargov explained.
Kargov added that the representatives often decide not to take action if the quantity of the goods is small, since, in addition to administration fees, the representatives have to pay for the transport and storage of counterfeits. Some representatives also find that the deadline of 20 days within which they have to establish whether the goods are counterfeit is too short.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Macedonian Customs Detain 18,000 Kilograms of Counterfeit Apparel En Route to Belgium
In March 2011, during an inspection of a truck with Turkish license plates at the Bogorodica border crossing, southern Macedonia, the Macedonian customs officials discovered and detained 32,353 clothing items believed to be counterfeit, weighing approximately 18,000 kilograms and intended for an importer from Belgium.
The detained goods included 3,410 T-shirts bearing the mark of Armani; 1,180 T-shirts and 340 pairs of jeans bearing the logo of Replay; 560 T-shirts bearing the logo of Cavalli; 1,120 T-shirts and 1,160 tracksuits bearing the mark of Gucci; 330 T-shirts and 448 jackets with the mark of Lacoste; 980 T-shirts bearing the logo of Diesel; 480 T-shirts, 4,870 pairs of tracksuits and 600 pairs of Bermuda shorts bearing the logo of Adidas; 160 pairs of tracksuits, 1,530 pairs of Bermuda shorts, 3,680 T-shirts, and 796 pairs of sneakers with the mark of D&G; 1,240 pairs of jeans, 950 pairs of Bermuda shorts, and 7,965 T-shirts bearing the mark of G-Star; and 480 T-shirts bearing the logo of Louis Vuitton.
Several other detentions were made at various border points in Macedonia in March and early April. The customs officials detained 144 eaux de toilette bearing the mark of Malizia, 12,000 CDs bearing the logo of Princo, 154 pairs of jeans bearing the marks of Diesel and Levis, 114 T-shirts, shirts and tracksuits bearing the logos of Adidas, G-Star, Lacoste, Armani, Kappa and D&G, and six telephone switchboards and 60 telephones bearing the logo of Panasonic. The goods were found in trucks with Macedonian and Turkish license plates, originated in Dubai, China, Turkey and Bulgaria, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
March 24, 2011
Macedonia Adopts Amendments to Industrial Property Law
On February 23, 2011, the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia ratified amendments to the Law on Industrial Property, which came into force on March 5, 2011.
The primary reason for amending the Law on Industrial Property is that, as of recently, the Law on Quality of Agricultural Products regulates Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for agricultural and dairy products. Thus, the provisions for protection of such products had to be removed from the Law on Industrial Property; other products with PDO and PGI remain under the scope of the Law on Industrial Property.
Another significant change concerns the State Market Inspectorate’s enforcement activities. The Law on Industrial Property now obligates the State Market inspectors to temporarily detain counterfeit goods placed on the market, while the old law did not clearly specify what was to be done with the counterfeits on the market. Instead of detaining the goods, the inspectors often issued orders for these goods to be removed from the market, but the goods were not destroyed and their fate was unknown.
The amendments introduce the possibility of out-of-court settlement.
The fines for infringers have been reduced and now range from EUR 700 (USD 975) to EUR 6,000 (USD 8,353); the maximum fine before the amendments was EUR 8,000 (USD 11,132).
The amendments also affect patent regulations. The national patent applicants now have 12 months from the application date to notify the IPO how the substantive examination will be conducted. Prior to the amendments, they were obligated to do this within six months. The notification period has been extended to correspond to the notification period when filing international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska-Stojkovska at our Macedonia office.
Source: PETOŠEVIĆ
Macedonian Customs Detain Counterfeit Apparel, Sneakers, Perfumes
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period February 14 – March 13, 2011, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of February 14-20, the customs officials detained 2,998 pairs of sneakers bearing the marks of Adidas, Armani, Reebok and Puma; 1,346 blouses and shirts bearing the marks of Armani, Louis Vuitton, G-Star, Tom Tailor, Naf Naf, Kenzo and Christian Lacroix; and 480 massagers bearing the mark of Kosmodisk.
On February 22, the customs officials detained 2,628 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Adidas, while in the week of February 28 – March 6, a total of 305 shirts, blouses, tights and tracksuits bearing the marks of Tommy Hilfiger and Puma, 70 pairs of sneakers bearing the logo of Nike, 9,018 stickers bearing the marks of Puma, Nike, Lacoste and Adidas, as well as 900 perfumes bearing the mark of Bon Bons Malizia were detained.
During the week of March 7-13, the officials detained a total of 1,222 pairs of sneakers bearing the marks of Adidas, All Star, Nike and Puma.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian and Turkish license plates, originated in China, Turkey and Greece, and were intended for the Macedonia and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
February 23, 2011
Macedonian Customs Detain Diesel, Armani, Adidas Counterfeits
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period January 24 – February 13, 2011, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of January 24-30, the customs officials detained 3,600 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Runners, 1,533 pairs of jeans, tracksuits and underwear bearing the marks of Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, Adidas, Boss, Gucci and D&G, 790 pairs of sunglasses bearing the marks of Ray Ban and Versace, and 80 pairs of jeans bearing the mark of Levi’s.
In the period January 31–February 6, the officials detained 530 spare mobile phone parts bearing the marks of Nokia and Sony Ericsson. During the week of February 7-13, 820 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Puma were detained.
The goods, which were found in a train wagon and in trucks with Turkish and Macedonian license plates, originated in China and Turkey, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian customs
January 20, 2011
Macedonian Authorities Destroy Counterfeit CDs, Cigarettes, Alcohol
On December 10, 2010, the Coordinating Body for Intellectual Property in Macedonia destroyed 87,114 pirate DVDs and CDs, 31,560 cartons of cigarettes, 150 liters of alcohol, 300 pieces of medication, 160 kilograms of chopped tobacco, 18 tons of food, and 1,420 cosmetic products, the Macedonian IPO informed.
The goods destroyed were confiscated due to violations of intellectual property rights. This public destruction of confiscated goods was carried out at the Drisla landfill in the capital of Skopje.
In November 2010, the Coordinating Body also conducted two raids in the towns of Kumanovo, northeastern Macedonia, and Gostivar, northwestern Macedonia, where it confiscated 37 computers with unlicensed software and 915 pirate CDs and DVDs.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian IPO
Macedonian Customs Detain Gucci, Kappa, D&G Counterfeits
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between December 20, 2010, and January 9, 2011, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of December 20-26, 2010, the customs officials detained 920 pairs of children’s pants bearing the mark of Gucci, 10 jackets bearing the mark of Louis Vuitton, and 340 children’s pajamas with the logo of Kappa.
In the period January 3-9, 2011, the officials detained 209 blouses and hats bearing the marks of Kappa and D&G.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Albanian, Turkish and Macedonian license plates, originated in China and Dubai, and were intended for the Albanian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Macedonia Registers First International Appellations of Origin
As the Macedonian IPO informed on December 24, 2010, in November and December 2010 Macedonia registered its first international Appellations of Origin:
- Makedonski Ajvar – international registration no. 894;
- Krivopalanecki Med – international registration no. 895;
- Disan – international registration no. 896;
- Kocanski Oriz – international registration no. 897.
The conditions for the registrations were created with the coming into force of the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration in Macedonia on October 6, 2010.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian IPO
Macedonian Translation of Ninth Edition of Nice Classification Released
The Macedonian State Office of Industrial Property (IPO) has published the official Macedonian translation of the Ninth Edition of the International Classification of Goods and Services under the Nice Agreement.
The Macedonian translation is available in print at the Macedonian IPO and in the PDF format on the IPO website.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian IPO
December 21, 2010
Macedonian Customs Detain Fake Shoes, Perfumes, Textile Products
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between November 15 and December 19, 2010, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of November 15-21, the customs officials detained 2,512 various products (perfumes, deodorants, lotions, shower gels, T-shirts and watches) bearing the marks of D&G, Escada, Gucci, Boss, Rochas and Lacoste, as well as 42 CDs and one radio-CD player with the Panasonic logo.
In the period November 29 – December 5, the officials detained 343 textile products (underwear, blouses and sweaters) with the logos of Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Camel and Lacoste, 129,200 polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags bearing the Tommy Hilfiger mark, 20,000 labels bearing the marks of Lacoste, Adidas, Nike and Diesel, and 2,000 Lacoste patches.
In the period December 13-19, the officials detained 452 textile products (pants and T-shirts) and 174 pairs of shoes (athletic shoes and children’s boots) bearing the marks of G-Star, D&G, Emporio Armani, Adidas, and Nike; 111 eaux de toilette (20 and 100 ml) and 37 perfumes bearing the marks of Paco Rabanne, Gucci, David Beckham, Coco Chanel, Armani, Calvin Klein, D&G, Giorgio Armani, Aqua Di Gio, Versace, Lancome, Kenzo, Nina Richi, Davidoff, Amor and J’adore; and 48 women’s beauty sets, body lotions, and men’s cologne bearing the mark of Lacoste.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian, Turkish and Polish license plates, originated in China and Turkey, and were intended for the Macedonian, Kosovo and Albanian markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
November 29, 2010
New Macedonian Copyright Law Treats Copyright Infringement as Criminal Offense
The new Law on Copyright and Related Rights entered into force in Macedonia on September 8, 2010. Macedonia had the obligation to harmonize its regulations with the EU acquis as part of its Strategy for Intellectual Property (2009-2012).
A significant change is that the new law, in accordance with the EU Enforcement Directive, treats copyright infringement as a criminal offense and not as a misdemeanor. For this crime, the law foresees a prison sentence of six months to five years for natural persons, and a fine for legal entities. The court is also given the possibility to prohibit copyright infringers from further exercising their business activities.
The new law is more precise and more structured than the previous one. The new regulations are meant to de-monopolize copyright collectives, which guarantee more effective protection and enforcement of copyrights. So far, in practice, a single copyright collective for authors and composers of musical works had a monopoly in copyright protection.
The law also abolishes copyright protection for theatrical producers. This change was made in accordance with comparative practices, which showed that these copyrights are considered most abstract and are not recognized in most legal systems.
The new copyright law also sets more realistic copyright levies that should be paid to artists for use of their copyrighted works by third parties, and it clearly lists all possible cases of free use of copyrighted works.
For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska-Stojkovska at our Macedonia office.
Source: PETOŠEVIĆ
Macedonian Customs Detain Counterfeit Toy Cars, Apparel, Footwear
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between October 11 and November 7, 2010, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of October 11-17, the officials detained 564 textile products (sweatpants, blouses, and men’s underwear) bearing the logos of Puma, Nike, Adidas, D&G, and Calvin Klein.
In the period October 18-24, the officials detained 6,311 toy cars bearing the marks of Volkswagen, Dodge, Mini Cooper, Chevrolet, Hummer, Nissan, Audi, Toyota, Shelby, Lexus, Honda, Subaru, Ford, Mitsubishi, Chrysler, Porsche, BMW, Range Rover, Lamborghini and Mercedes; 468 telephones, radio-CD players and computer keyboards bearing the logos of Panasonic and Samsung; and 150 pairs of women’s boots bearing the mark of Chanel.
In the week of October 25-31, the Macedonian officials detained 504 pairs of women’s boots bearing the logo of D&G.
In the period November 1-7, the officials detained 345 children’s pants bearing the mark of Dolce&Gabbana and 93 textile products (blouses and sweatpants) bearing the logos of Puma and Adidas.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Turkish license plates, originated in Turkey, Dubai, and China, and were intended for the Kosovo and Macedonian markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia Office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Macedonian Authorities Confiscate Computers, Pirate CDs
During October, the Macedonian authorities confiscated three computers that used unlicensed software and 2,081 pirate CDs and DVDs in three operations carried out by the Coordinating Body for Protection of Intellectual Property in Macedonia in the capital Skopje and the city of Bitola, southern Macedonia.
The report released by the State Office of Industrial Property on November 11, 2010 states that, as part of this operation, the authorities also inspected a number of Internet cafes in Bitola, where it was established that a large number of these cafes use licensed software.
The report informs that the Coordinating Body, in cooperation with Microsoft, Adobe and Autodesk, organized the training for the State Market Inspectorate and the Ministry of Internal Affairs inspectors on October 6, 2010, on how to recognize illegal software.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia Office.
Source: State Office of Industrial Property
Macedonian Authorities File Piracy Charges Against Local Cable Operator
The Macedonian Ministry of Internal Affairs filed criminal charges against a local cable operator called Robi, from the town of Stip, eastern Macedonia, and its Skopje branch called Telekabel, for illegally broadcasting programs of several foreign TV stations, including the French Mezzo and the Serbian Pink Plus.
As the Ministry informed, the cable operator broadcast the programs of several TV stations without obtaining the necessary certificate for a registered program package from Macedonia’s Broadcasting Council. Robi and Telekabel charged consumers a monthly fee for this service, thus violating the copyright of the TV stations.
This action was taken after the cable operator Cabletel informed the Coordinating Body for Protection of Intellectual Property in Macedonia and the State Market Inspectorate in July 2010 that cable operator Telekabel broadcasts TV stations without regulated copyrights. An inspection was conducted in August and these charges were confirmed.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia Office.
Source: Macedonian daily Dnevnik
October 20, 2010
Macedonian Customs Detain Gucci, Armani, Adidas, Nike, BIC Counterfeits
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between September 20 and October 10, 2010, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of September 20-26, the customs officials detained 77,000 pantyhose packages bearing the mark of BIC, 210 jackets bearing the logos of Gucci and Armani, 200 pairs of athletic footwear bearing the marks of D&G and Converse, and 397 men’s hats bearing the mark of Lacoste.
In the week of September 27-October 3, the customs officials detained 712 textile products (tracksuits, blouses, jeans, men’s underwear and belts) bearing the logos of Adidas, Nike, Puma, D&G, Boss, Armani and Levi’s, as well as 570 cotton blouses bearing the mark of D&G.
In the week of October 4-10, the Macedonian customs detained 150 pillowcases with the logo of Louis Vuitton.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Turkish license plates, originated in China and Turkey, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Macedonian Authorities Confiscate Computers, Pirate CDs
The Macedonian authorities confiscated 4,000 pirate CDs and four computers used for making pirate CDs from seven CD rental clubs/shops during an operation carried out in nine CD rental clubs/shops in the region of Tetovo, western Macedonia, on September 22, 2010.
The authorities also confiscated 63 satellite TV receivers from two of the five cable operators inspected because they did not have the necessary permits.
The operation was organized by the Coordinating Body for Protection of Intellectual Property in Macedonia. Mite Kostov, head of the coordinating body, announced that the infringers would be fined up to EUR 1,800 (USD 2,536) and that charges would be filed against them.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonia’s Channel 5 TV web portal
September 21, 2010
Macedonia Adopts New Copyright and Related Rights Law
According to the Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 115, published on August 31, 2010, the Macedonian Assembly ratified the new Law on Copyright and Related Rights at its session on August 23, 2010. The law entered into force on September 8, 2010.
The new law more precisely defines copyrights and related rights and harmonizes them with the corresponding European legislation. It also recognizes computer programs and digital media copyrights, which were not recognized by the former law.
For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska at our Macedonia office.
Source: PETOSEVIC
Macedonian Customs Detain Counterfeit Phones, Sneakers, Apparel
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between August 16 and September 12, 2010, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of August 16-22, the Macedonian customs officials detained 128 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Converse.
In the period August 23-29, the customs officials detained 1,960 pairs of sneakers bearing the logos of Adidas and Converse, 176 landline phones and 120 radio/CD players bearing the mark of Panasonic and 100 Sony PlayStation devices.
In the week of August 30 - September 5, the customs detained 928 sneakers bearing the logo of Converse, 403 textile goods (t-shirts, tracksuits, jeans, and shirts) bearing the marks of D&G, Adidas, Levis, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo, Emporio Armani and G-Star, 12 radio/CD players bearing the mark of Panasonic, and 16 cell phone displays bearing the logos of Samsung and Nokia.
In the period of September 6–12, the customs officials detained 227 phones and three telephone switchboards bearing the mark of Panasonic.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Turkish license plates, originated in China, Turkey and Dubai, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
August 24, 2010
Macedonian Customs Detain Armani, Prada, Gucci Counterfeits
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between July 5 and August 3, 2010, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of July 5-11, the customs officials detained 8,500 lighters bearing the logo of BMW, while in the week of July 12-18, the officials detained 826 soccer sets containing shorts and shirts bearing the logo of Adidas and 354 children’s T-shirts bearing the logos of D&G and Armani.
In the week of July 19-25, the customs officials detained 70 textile articles (T-shirts and dresses) bearing among others the logos of D&G, Armani, Prada and Playboy, and 84 cosmetic products (creams and perfumes) bearing the marks of Cera di Kupra, Armani, Boss, Gucci and Versace.
In the period July 26–August 3, the customs officials detained 504 textile articles (underwear and trousers) bearing the logos of G-Star, Armani and Prada.
The goods, which were found in trucks and vehicles with Turkish, Macedonian and British license plates, originated in Turkey, China, and Dubai and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Macedonian Broadcasting Council Publishes Operators’ Program Packages to Protect Copyrights
In order to ensure more efficient protection of copyrights and neighboring rights, the Macedonian Broadcasting Council has recently published on its website program packages for which the public communication network operators in Macedonia have regulated the copyrights and which they are permitted to transmit.
The Council emphasized in its statement that the operators must not add or remove programs without prior consent from the Council. The Council reserves the right to remove programs from the packages due to the expiration of retransmission rights, cancellation of the retransmission agreement, and other legally justified reasons.
The Council noted that it would intensify the monitoring of the programs operators offer, with the help from the State Market Inspectorate, the Coordinating Body for Intellectual Property, the Culture Ministry, the Interior Ministry, and the Public Prosecution Office.
The operators’ program packages, in Macedonian, can be found here.
If you need any assistance, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Broadcasting Council
July 21, 2010
Macedonian Customs Detain Counterfeit Bags, Shoes, Apparel
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between June 14 and July 4, 2010, the customs officials detained a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of June 14-20, the customs officials detained 1,992 textile articles (jeans, trousers, T-shirts, and shirts) bearing the logos of Adidas, Nike, Puma, Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger and Levi’s, and 610 pairs of flip-flops and slippers bearing the logos of Adidas and Nike.
In the period between June 21-27, the officials detained 535 bags bearing the logo of Louis Vuitton, 215 sweatpants bearing the mark of Adidas, 491 textile articles (T-shirts, underwear, and jeans) bearing the logos of Armani, Diesel, Dolce & Gabbana and G-star, 370 pairs of men’s shoes bearing the logo of Camel, and 140 pairs of sneakers bearing the logos of Converse and Adidas.
In the week of June 28-July 4, the officials detained 1,168 items (shoe soles, T-shirts, jeans, tracksuits, belts, and shirts) bearing the logos of Levi’s, D&G, Armani, Adidas, Diesel, Polo, Lacoste, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, and Tommy Hilfiger, 950 men’s shirts bearing the logo of BOSS, and 156 textile articles (jeans and shirts) bearing the marks of Diesel and Dolce & Gabbana.
The goods were found in trucks with Turkish, Macedonian, and Bulgarian license plates and a railway carriage. They originated in Turkey, Bulgaria, and China, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia Office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Poor Enforcement of Copyright Law Blamed for Poor Copyright Protection in Macedonia
Songwriters are dissatisfied with the level of copyright protection in Macedonia, criticizing the Macedonian Association for Protection of Music Copyrights (ZAMP) for the small annual royalties that it pays them. The four-part analysis on the compliance with the Copyright Law in Macedonia, published by Macedonian daily Dnevnik from July 6 to July 9, 2010 stresses poor enforcement of the Law as one of the main reasons for its non-observance.
Mirjana Todorovska, senior IP & Tech Law researcher at the University American College Skopje, notes that the widespread music piracy and the Macedonian musicians’ constant calls for change of the royalty payment system are the main indicators that copyrights are not sufficiently protected in the country.
Her survey conducted on 33 respondents-songwriters showed that around 61.3 percent of the songwriters in Macedonia believe that copyrights are not fully protected and that the system needs to be reformed. A total of 90 percent of the respondents assessed that the Copyright and Related Rights Department within the Macedonian Ministry of Culture is “inefficient and slow in decision making”, while approximately 75 percent said the same thing for the State Market Inspectorate. All respondents (100 percent) replied that they don’t see the judges as “neutral” and “swift in decision making”.
The analysis also compares the total royalties paid to songwriters in Macedonia, Croatia, and Slovenia in 2008. Croatia paid approximately EUR 8.6 million (USD 11.1 million) in royalties to its songwriters that year, Slovenia paid a total of EUR 6.3 million (USD 8.1 million), while the Macedonian songwriters received a total of EUR 280,821 (USD 362,266) in royalties from ZAMP.
ZAMP representatives argue that Macedonia should not be compared with other countries, as it is a small country and therefore a small music market. But they agree that there is a problem, noting that both songwriters and ZAMP are not satisfied with the records of played songs kept by the broadcasting companies.
According to the Copyright and Related Rights Law, the electronic media are obliged to submit to ZAMP the lists of songs played by them on air. However, as the whole system is based on trust and since there is no way to check whether a certain song was played once or 10 times during the day, many broadcasting companies pay small amounts for copyright fees and there are those that do not pay anything at all.
Dnevnik notes that ZAMP is suing four national TV broadcasters and one national radio station for EUR 1.2 million (USD 1.6 million) because they have not paid copyright fees for two years. The Macedonian Radio Television is among the national broadcasting companies sued.
Experts say that the problem with the lawsuits is that judges are not well versed in the Copyright Law. Experts hope that departments specialized in resolving copyrights-related disputes will be formed in the courts.
ZAMP authorities also said for Dnevnik that they are working on acquiring software that will register how many times the electronic media play certain songs. They stressed that they received support for this initiative from Minister of Culture Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska, who promised financial support.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Dnevnik.com.mk
June 23, 2010
Macedonia Ratifies Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin
According to the Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 77, published on June 8, 2010, the Macedonian Assembly ratified the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration, at its session on May 31, 2010.
The agreement will enter into force three months after the date on which the WIPO Director General is notified of the ratification.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Sunglasses, Footwear, Apparel
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between May 10 and June 6, 2010, the customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names believed to be counterfeit.
In the week of May 10-16, the customs officials seized 2,180 sets of football shirts and shorts, tracksuit bottoms, t-shirts and men’s underwear bearing the logos of Adidas, D&G and Calvin Klein, 610 pairs of sneakers bearing the logos of Puma and Kappa, 640 pairs of children’s sneakers bearing the logo of Puma, 93 trousers, T-shirts, jackets and shorts bearing the logos of Emporio Armani, Chanel, Louis Vuiton, Versace, Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, Replay, Replay, D&G and Cavalli, and 36 pairs of sneakers bearing the logo of Adidas.
In the week of May 17-23 the officials seized 1,712 pairs of sunglasses bearing the marks of Police, Ray-Ban, Dior and Armani, as well as 116 T-shirts, shorts, trousers, children’s outfits and football jerseys bearing the logos of Levi’s, Ferre, Dolce&Gabanna, Hugo Boss, Armani, Energie, Cavalli, Tommy Hilfiger, Okaidi, Polo and Adidas.
In the period between May 24 and June 6, the customs officials seized 415 mobile phones bearing the logo of Nokia, 1,920 video camera tapes and 16 МP3 players bearing the logo of Sony, 1,050 men’s bathing suits bearing the logo of Adidas, 2,810 batteries bearing the logo of Panasonic and 460 T-shirts bearing the logos of Polo and Nike.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Turkish and Macedonian license plates, originated in Turkey, China and Dubai, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
May 24, 2010
Macedonian Customs Seize Designer Clothes from Illegal Boutique
During the search of an apartment in Skopje on April 22 2010, Macedonian customs inspectors seized a large quantity of various designer clothes - jeans, shirts, jackets and suits, bearing well-known brand names including Armani, Gucci, Versace and Prada.
The inspectors also seized watches, sunglasses, perfumes, men and women’s belts, handbags, shoes and trainers bearing logos of well-known brands.
Intelligence reports indicate that the apartment functioned as an illegal boutique for designer clothes. T-shirts were sold for EUR 30 (USD 37), the price of jeans varied from EUR 100 (USD 123) to EUR 150 (USD 185), while jackets were sold for EUR 500 (USD 615).
Furthermore, during regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between April 8 and May 8, the Macedonian customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods believed to be counterfeit.
At the Deve Bair border crossing, on the border with Bulgaria, the Macedonian customs officials seized 372 pairs of trainers bearing the Adidas logo and 300 mobile phone chargers bearing the mark of Nokia, while the customs officials in Skopje seized 12 pairs of jeans bearing the Levi’s mark and 80 T-shirts bearing the Armani logo.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Turkish license plates, originated in Turkey, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
AmCham Macedonia Prepares Guide for Protection of Trademarks
On the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Day, April 26, 2010, the Intellectual Property Rights Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Macedonia (AmCham Macedonia) prepared and promoted a Guide for Protection of Trademarks, aimed at providing entrepreneurs and managers with information on how to protect their trademarks in Macedonia.
The Guide presents an overview of the legal framework and trademark protection registration process in Macedonia, as well as a description of the strategies and challenges related to protection of trademarks.
The IPR Committee representatives stressed at the press conference held in Skopje on April 26 that the adequate IP protection legislation exists, but that more work needs to be done in terms of its implementation. They emphasized the lengthy court procedures for cases related to protection of intellectual property rights, noting that the majority of judges and prosecutors are not well versed in this sphere. Consequently, as the Committee members stressed, AmCham will organize training for judges and public prosecutors to stress the importance of this subject.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Sitel.com.mk
April 26, 2010
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Sneakers, Sunglasses
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between March 8 and April 8, 2010 the customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods believed to be counterfeit bearing big brand labels.
In the week of March 8-15, the officials in Skopje and the Bogorodica border crossing, on the border with Greece, seized 2,160 pairs of trainers bearing the logo of Adidas.
In the period of March 15-19, the officials seized an additional 2,832 pairs of trainers bearing the logos of Adidas and Runners, as well as 550 halogen and regular light bulbs bearing the mark of Osram. The officials also seized 29,950 CDs bearing the logo of Princo and 1,730 pendants bearing the logos of Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, Volvo, Mazda, Audi, Peugeot, Ford, Opel, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Alfa Romeo.
During the Easter holidays, the Macedonian customs officials seized 424 sunglasses bearing the marks of Ray Ban, Oakley, Persol, Chanel and Adidas; 280 sets of children’s tracksuits bearing the logo of Diesel; 265 sets of tracksuits bearing the logos of Adidas, Puma and Nike; and 153 textile articles (T-shirts and tracksuits) bearing the logos of Armani, Gant, Tom Tailor, Polo, D&G, G-Star, Kappa, Adidas and ACG.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian and Albanian license plates, originate in China and Turkey, and were intended for the Macedonian, Albanian, and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
March 30, 2010
Macedonia Hosts WCO European Heads of Customs Conference
The annual Conference of Heads of Customs of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Europe Region, the highest decision-making forum of directors general of customs administrations of the European region, was held in Ohrid, southern Macedonia, on March 15 and 16, 2010.
The conference was hosted by Vanco Kargov, the director general of Macedonian Customs, chaired by Alain Bellot, director general of the Customs Administration of Luxembourg, and attended by delegations of 46 European and Asian Customs Services as well as the representatives of the European Commission, WCO, and the WCO Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILO).
WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya presented a comprehensive report on WCO’s past year activities and focused the discussion on the latest issues and challenges faced by the WCO members’ customs administrations.
Mikuriya stressed the importance of electronic data exchange among WCO member states, further improvement of the integrated border management and the Single Window system, which enables cross-border traders to submit documents such as customs declarations, applications for import/export permits and certificates of origin at a single location.
The participants also talked about the further development of the Regional Training Center (RTC), which WCO opened in Skopje in September 2009, and the establishment of the Regional Office for Capacity Building in Baku, Azerbaijan. Participants also showed an interest to open a WCO RTC in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
The next annual conference will take place in Luxembourg.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs; WCO
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Perfumes, Mobile Phones
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between February 8 and February 19, the Macedonian customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods believed to be counterfeit, bearing high fashion labels such as Christian Dior, Versace and Armani.
In the week of February 8-14, the officials at the customs offices in Delcevo, eastern Macedonia, and the capital of Skopje seized 150 pairs of sneakers bearing the logos of Аdidas, Puma and Nike, and 960 coffee mugs bearing the logo of Nescafé.
On February 18, the officials at the Deve Bair border crossing on the border with Bulgaria seized 1,570 perfumes bearing the marks of Christian Dior, Versace, Calvin Klein, Joop, Emporio Armani, Kenzo, Hugo Boss, Chanel, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger and Bulgari, as well as 68 video camera tapes bearing the logo of Sony.
On February 19, the officials at the Skopje Airport seized 26 mobile phones bearing the marks of Nokia, Ferrari and iPhone. The officials also seized 1,290 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of All Star, 210 tracksuit bottoms bearing the logo of Adidas, and 185 T-shirts and trousers bearing the logos of Esprit, Mexx and Tom Tailor.
The goods originated in China and Turkey, and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia Office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Macedonia Ratifies Three International IP Agreements
During the month of February three significant IP agreements were announced in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia.
In the Official Gazette No. 19, published on February 10, it was announced that the Macedonian Assembly had ratified the Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks and the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks, at its session on February 4.
On February 19, in the Official Gazette No. 24, it was announced that, at its session on February 15, the Macedonian Assembly ratified the Protocol Amending the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement).
The Macedonian Government deposited the instrument of accession to the Vienna Agreement with the WIPO Director General on February 26, and this agreement will enter into force, with respect to Macedonia, on May 26, 2010.
The Singapore Treaty will enter into force three months after the instrument of ratification is deposited with the WIPO Director General, while the Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreement will take effect in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article X of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia; WIPO
February 23, 2010
Macedonia IPO Changes Official Fees
On January 15, 2010, the Official Gazette No. 6 of the Republic of Macedonia, announced amendments to official fees paid to the Macedonian State Office of Industrial Property.
The changes are applicable as of January 23, 2010.
The fee for filing applications for collective or certification trademarks is still EUR 53 (USD 72), but there is no longer a fee for each additional class in excess of 3 classes.
All official fees for patent annuities up to the 10th year remain the same. The fees for annuities from 11th through 20th year, which had a flat fee of EUR 53 (USD 72), increased as follows:
- 11th annuity – EUR 65 (USD 89)
- 12th annuity – EUR 82 (USD 112)
- 13th annuity – EUR 100 (USD 137)
- 14th annuity – EUR 114 (USD 156)
- 15th annuity – EUR 130 (USD 177)
- 16th annuity – EUR 147 (USD 201)
- 17th annuity – EUR 163 (USD 223)
- 18th annuity – EUR 180 (USD 246)
- 19th annuity – EUR 195 (USD 266)
- 20th annuity – EUR 212 (USD 289)
The yearly fees for maintaining the Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) for medical or plant protection products increased on average by EUR 165 (USD 225).
In case an applicant fails to file an office action within the due date, they can file a request for prolongation of the procedure within two months of the due date. A fee in the amount of EUR 50 (USD 68) has been introduced for such request.
Should an applicant miss all extensions of time and there is a justified reason beyond their control, the fee for restitutio in integrum, (Art. 122 European Patent Convention, and Rule no. 9 from the Singapore Treaty on the Law on Trademarks) remains the same - EUR 17 (USD 23).
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian IPO
Macedonian Media Demand End to Unauthorized Republishing of News
The representatives of ten Macedonian print and electronic media signed an initiative on December 24, 2009, urging all news portals and radio stations in Macedonia to stop republishing or airing news and information produced by their media, arguing that this violates the Copyright Law and causes damages by reducing the number of visitors to their websites.
Media representatives demanded that as of February 1, 2010, all owners of news portals republish only the titles and subtitles of their news stories with a direct link to the original news source. They also demanded that the radio stations sign an agreement with them, which will grant them the right to air their news.
Media representatives stressed that they are prepared to protect their interests in court in case the news portals and radio stations do not comply with their request.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Source: Utrinski.com.mk
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Footwear, Apparel
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between January 14 and February 9, 2010, the Macedonian customs officials confiscated various products believed to be counterfeit.
On January 14 and 15, the officials seized 554 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Dolce & Gabbana and 190 pairs of sweatpants bearing the mark or Adidas.
On January 19, the customs officials seized 768 pairs of sneakers bearing the marks of Adidas, Converse and Gucci, as well as 119 pairs of women’s boots bearing the mark of Dolce & Gabbana.
In the period from January 22 to February 2, the officials seized 1,140 pairs of children’s pants bearing the mark of D&G, 345 wallets bearing the mark of Gucci, 160 seat covers for passenger vehicles bearing the mark of Mercedes, and 48 pairs of sneakers bearing the mark of Puma.
The goods, originating in China, Dubai and Bulgaria, were found in trucks with Bulgarian and Turkish license plates and were intended for the Macedonian, Albanian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
Macedonia Accedes to Patent Law Treaty
As reported by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), on January 22, 2010, Macedonia acceded to the Patent Law Treaty (PLT), adopted in Geneva on June 1, 2000.
The Treaty will enter into force in Macedonia on April 22, 2010. The Treaty is designed to harmonize and streamline formal procedures set by national or regional patent offices for the filing and maintenance of patents.
For more information, please contact Loic Dufour in our Luxembourg Office.
Source: WIPO
January 20, 2010
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Technical Goods, Sports Equipment
During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period between December 9, 2009 and January 9, 2010, Macedonian customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods believed to be counterfeit.
On December 9, the officials seized 1,723 items, including mobile phones, PlayStation games, digital camera memory cards and mobile phone accessories bearing the logos of Sony, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and I-Phone.
On December 10 and 11, the officials seized 1,433 car accessories (hubcaps, mud guards and radios) bearing the logos of Volkswagen, Mercedes, Opel, Audi and Panasonic, and 660 mobile phone accessories bearing the logos of Nokia and I-Phone.
On December 12, the officials seized 2,364 wristbands bearing the logos of Adidas and Nike, while on December 15, the officials seized 249 pieces of sports equipment (table tennis tables, bats and balls) bearing the logo of Adidas.
On December 18, the officials seized 200 mobile phone cases and 145 mobile phone chargers bearing the logo of Nokia.
In the week of December 28-January 3, 52 vacuum cleaners bearing the logo of Panasonic were seized.
The goods, originating in Turkey and China, were found in trucks with Macedonian and Turkish license plates and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonian Customs
December 22, 2009
Macedonian Police Seize Counterfeit Alcoholic Drinks
In a major police operation called Aperitif, conducted in a number of cities throughout Macedonia over the last seven months, hundreds of liters of counterfeit alcoholic drinks have been seized and criminal charges pressed against eight producers.
During the search of 21 residential and business premises, the police discovered counterfeit Tsantali ouzo, Smirnoff, Absolut, Vigor and Baltic vodka, Badel brandy and Ballantine’s whiskey.
In addition to organizing illegal production, the detained individuals also printed bottle labels of various well-known alcohol brands without authorization from the rights holders.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonia Dnevnik News
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Goods
During regular inspections in the period between November 9 and December 9, 2009 the Macedonian customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods believed to be counterfeit.
The goods were found at Macedonia’s customs offices and border crossings with Bulgaria, Greece and Kosovo.
In the week of November 9-15, the customs officials detected and seized around 33,000 items, including socks bearing the marks Nike and Pierre Cardin, sweaters and tops bearing the marks Ralph Lauren, Armani, D&G, Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Tailor and Ralph Lauren Polo, woolen hats bearing the logos of Versace, Nike and Armani, and jeans bearing the logos of Dolce&Gabanna and Cavalli. The officials also found motor vehicle parts and doors bearing the logo of the following trademarks: Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Citroen, Ford, Hyundai, Lada, Mercedes, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Seat, Skoda and Zastava, as well as toner cartridges bearing the mark Canon.
In the week of November 16-22, the customs officials confiscated about 3,000 items, including technical appliances bearing the marks of Nokia, Luxell and Panasonic, and clothing and footwear bearing the labels Lacoste, Armani, D&G, Nike, Timberland and Adidas.
In the week of November 23-29, the officials detected and seized about 900 items, including jeans bearing the logo of Esprit, mobile phones bearing the logos of Sony Ericsson, Nokia, I-Phone and LG and children’s boots bearing the logo of Dior.
In the week of November 30 to December 6, the officials confiscated about 3000 different products, including sneakers with the logos of Adidas and Kappa, sweaters, tops and shirts bearing the logos of D&G and Lacoste, light bulbs bearing the logo of Philips and mobile phones and mobile phone accessories bearing the logos of Sony, Sony PS 2, Sony PS 3, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and I-Phone.
On December 9, the customs officials seized about 2,000 products, among which PlayStation games, joysticks, mobile phones and mobile phone accessories bearing the logos of Sony, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and I-Phone.
The goods, which were found in vehicles with Macedonian and Turkish license plates, originated in the United Arab Emirates, China and Turkey and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Source: Macedonia Customs
November 24, 2009
Macedonia’s Broadcasting Council Calls on Cable Operators To Observe Copyrights When Broadcasting Foreign Programs
The Broadcasting Council (BC) of the Republic of Macedonia released a statement on November 2, calling on the cable operators to observe the copyrights and related rights when broadcasting foreign TV channels.
The announcement comes following the sudden taking off the air of the Albanian TV channel Top Channel by Macedonia’s cable operator Cabletel. The BC noted that airing foreign channels that do not have copyright agreements with cable operators is considered an infringement.
BC director Zoran Stefanovski stressed that, although the Macedonian cable operators had made many changes following the numerous warnings by the BC, they are still not fully compliant with the copyright law. He explained that the BC is preparing a list of TV channels for which copyrights for broadcast in Macedonia can be obtained, adding that this will help the cable operators observe the statutory regulations and enrich their program schemes.
“The BC’s objective is to raise the level of protection of intellectual property and contribute to the fight against unfair competition. The cable operators should compete among each other with better prices and better quality of services and program schemes, not by broadcasting channels without regulated copyrights,” BC director Zoran Stefanovski emphasized.
The BC informed that it would continue to monitor all cable operators with the objective of removing all channels without copyright agreements.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Macedonian Police Discover Counterfeit Shoes and Sneakers Factory
The Macedonian police seized 50,000 goods in the town of Tetovo, western Macedonia, on November 4 during an inspection of 15 buildings in which garments and shoes are produced and sold. Most of the goods seized are counterfeit shoes and sneakers bearing the logos of Adidas, Puma, Dolce&Gabanna, Levi’s, Nike, and Converse.
A smaller factory for production of counterfeit shoes and sneakers, which employed approximately 30 workers, was also discovered during the inspection. Mite Kostov, chairman of the government Coordinating Body for Protection of Industrial Property, noted that the owners of the buildings inspected would be charged with infringement.
The authorities also informed that they would soon start conducting inspections of the licenses for the computer software used by companies in Macedonia.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Macedonian State Office of Industrial Property Publishes New Fees
On October 30, the State Office of Industrial Property of the Republic of Macedonia published new fees.
The changes to the fees are minor. All service fees remain the same. The only change is that unemployed individuals, students, retirees, and disabled persons do not have to pay for searches of the Patent Database. Also, all physical persons that apply for a patent in the area of ecology or protection of the environment can search the Patent Database for free.
In addition, if the patent application is submitted electronically, the granting and printing fees are reduced by 30 percent.
The Macedonian Government approved the fees on September 22, 2009.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Macedonian Police Seize 17 Computers and 20,000 Pirated CDs and DVDs
In an inspection conducted in seven music and movie shops in the town of Gostivar, western Macedonia, on October 21, the police and Public Revenue Service inspectors seized 17 computers and over 20,000 pirated CDs and DVDs.
“Our efforts to put an end to this extremely harmful phenomenon are aimed at reducing the damages suffered by the state. With these operations we want to prove that we take care of industrial property and copyrights,” explained Mite Kostov, chairman of the Coordinating Body for Protection of Industrial and Intellectual Property, which organized this operation.
Over 100,000 pirated discs containing music, movies, and music videos and approximately 20 computers with pirated software have been seized by the authorities in a number of operations conducted in Macedonia since the start of this year.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Goods
During regular controls at border crossings in the period between October 14 and November 9, the Macedonian customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods believed to be counterfeit.
The goods were found during regular inspections at Macedonia’s border crossings with Bulgaria and Greece.
On October 14, 15, and 17, the officials seized 2,400 different counterfeit products, including trainers bearing the logos of Esprit, Converse, and Puma; socks and underwear bearing the logos of Adidas, Nike, Emporio Armani, Calvin Klein, Puma, and D&G; watches and wallets bearing the logos of Casio, Armani, D&G, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, and Gucci; shirts, blouses, jackets, and jeans bearing the logos of Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans, Giorgio Armani, Tommi Hilfiger, Adidas, D&G, Nike, Polo, Cavali, Gucci, and Diesel; and tops and hoodies bearing the logo of G. Armani.
On October 21, the customs officials seized 55 counterfeit tops bearing the logos of Armani, Dolce&Gabbana, and Puma, while on 26 October a total of 24,000 clothing labels bearing the logos of Nike, Levi’s, and Diesel were seized.
On November 2, 2,200 blouses bearing the marks of Esprit, Timberland, and Benetton were seized, while on November 4, the officials seized 3,737 socks and blouses bearing the logos of Puma, Nike, Adidas, and Armani and 13,750 single-use razors bearing the mark of Gillette Blue 2 Plus. In the week of November 2-9, the customs officials also seized 240 women bags bearing the logo of Gucci under suspicion that they are counterfeit.
The goods, which were found in trucks with Macedonian, Turkish, and Bulgarian license plates, originate in China and Turkey and were intended for the Macedonian and Kosovo markets.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Louis Vuitton Successfully Prevents Infringement in Macedonia
Macedonian film production company Tomato was forced to remove a music video by Macedonian celebrity Bojan Jovanovski-Boki 13 from YouTube after receiving a cease and desist letter from Louis Vuitton, dated September 30, requesting that they remove the video or delete the scenes that show counterfeit Louis Vuitton panel, clothes, and bags.
Production company Tomato immediately removed the video, and agreed to delete the scenes showing counterfeit Louis Vuitton panel, clothes and bags.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
October 21, 2009
Macedonian Customs Seize Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani and Nike Counterfeits
During regular control at border crossings in Macedonia, on October 5, 6 and 8, 2009, Macedonian customs officials discovered three loads of goods believed to be counterfeit and initiated a legal procedure to verify their authenticity.
The goods were found during the inspections performed at the Customs Office Skopje, at the Struga border crossing with Albania, and at the Deve Bair border crossing with Bulgaria.
The officials seized a total of 1,040 items including counterfeit jeans, tracksuits, shirts, wallets and watches, bearing the trademarks of Armani, Adidas, Pierre Cardin, Nike, Puma, Lacoste, Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and Emporio Armani.
The goods were carried in three trucks, two with Turkish license plates, loaded with goods originating in Turkey and on their way to Macedonian importers, and one with Bulgarian plates, transporting goods originating in Bulgaria and intended for the Kosovo market.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Macedonia Gets WCO Regional Training Center
The World Customs Organization (WCO) opened a regional training center in Skopje, Macedonia, during the official visit of Kunio Mikuriya, organization’s secretary general, on September 28 and 29, 2009.
Within the framework of the visit, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the WCO, Macedonia’s Customs Administration and the Faculty of Economics at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, within whose premises the regional center will function.
During the visit to the Customs Administration, Mikuriya emphasized the country’s progress achieved in the modernization of the customs operations, as well as in the field of intellectual property rights protection.
WCO’s regional training centers represent the effort of the WCO to strengthen the capacities of the customs services around the world. During the meeting with Mikuriya, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski highlighted all projects dedicated to customs reforms, its improvement and the acquisition of the state-of-the-art equipment.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Internet Piracy Biggest IP Violation in Macedonia
During the Inter-Regional Symposium for Implementation of the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, which took place on October 5 and 6, 2009 in Skopje, it was concluded that Macedonia is making progress in the fight against piracy and counterfeiting.
Over the past few years, Macedonia has made considerable progress and has reduced its piracy rate by five to 10 percent.
Nonetheless, with an overall 68 percent rate of counterfeit and piracy, most of which takes place online, Macedonia is still far from the European average, where the rate of piracy and counterfeiting is below 50 percent.
Compared to the other countries in the region, Macedonia is behind Slovenia and Croatia, holds the same position as Bulgaria, and is better ranked than Serbia in its fight against piracy and counterfeiting.
The Macedonian government has recently adopted the National Strategy on Intellectual Property 2009 – 2012 as part of the activities to build an efficient system for protection of intellectual property rights.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
Macedonian PTO Approves New Official Fees
On September 22, the Macedonian government approved the new Tariffs of the State Office of Industrial Property.
According to the Macedonian PTO, the change will be reflected in the fees for the maintenance of patents, while the fees for industrial designs, trademarks, geographical indications and integrated circuits will remain the same. The Office also emphasized that the changes in fees have been made in order to harmonize them with the European Union fees.
The new official fees will be published soon on the State Office of Industrial Property website.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
Macedonia to Host WCO European Heads of Customs Conference
On 15 and 16 March 2010, Macedonia will host the European Heads of Customs Conference in Ohrid. Macedonia’s Customs Administration will organize the conference, which is under the auspices of the World Customs Organization (WCO).
The conference is the highest decision-making forum of directors general of fifty-one customs administrations of the European region. The discussions will focus on the latest issues in the development of customs in the 21st century and the WCO activities related to the challenges faced by the customs in the European region.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Noveska in our Macedonia office.
September 25, 2009
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Converse and Reebok
The Macedonian Customs seized 1,360 pairs of counterfeit Converse and Reebok sports footwear on September 4, 2009. The customs officers found the goods while searching a truck with Turkish license plates on the Deve Bair border, in northeastern Macedonia. The seized goods originated from Dubai and were intended for the Kosovo market.
Earlier, in August, 756 pairs of Converse, Adidas and Puma sports footwear were seized at the same border. The truck, loaded with various goods from the United Arab Emirates, also had Turkish license plates and was headed to Kosovo.
In addition, also in August, customs officers of Struga border, in southwestern Macedonia, prevented a Macedonian truck from importing 250 Dolce & Gabbana children’s leggings. In this case, the goods originated from Turkey and were declared at customs as a consignment for a Macedonian importer.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
Macedonian Government Adopts a Three-Year IP Strategy
On September 7, 2009, the Macedonian government adopted the National Strategy on Intellectual Property 2009 – 2012, as well as the Action Plan for its implementation.
“The strategy is significant to the improvement of Macedonia’s economy from the aspect of respecting intellectual property rights and competitiveness, thus assisting in the improvement of product quality and protection of consumer rights,” said Fatmir Besimi, Macedonia’s economy minister, after meeting with the Director of the Intellectual Property Office Safet Emruli. Besami expects that the strategy implementation would stimulate foreign direct investments and entrepreneurship in Macedonia.
According to Emruli, the strategy should improve efficiency in the fight against piracy and counterfeits. “The strategy supports Government’s policies for eradication of piracy and counterfeits, which have a negative effect on the country’s economy, state revenues and people’s health, but also represent an obstacle to foreign investments,” Emruli, stated.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Symposium in Macedonia
On October 5 and 6, 2009, Skopje will host an Inter-Regional Symposium on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the State Office of Industrial Property of Republic of Macedonia (SOIP).
International experts from WIPO, the European Commission (EC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and from Macedonia, as well as the representatives from the EU private sector will speak at the event. The Symposium caters to senior law enforcement officials from customs, police and market surveillance.
Representatives from the following 32 countries will be invited: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
Working languages are Macedonian and English.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
Macedonia Joins the European Community Program Customs 2013
On August 4, 2009, the Republic of Macedonia ratified the Memorandum of Understanding with the European Community and officially joined the program Customs 2013.
The program, geared for implementation by December 2013, facilitates the cooperation between the EU Member States customs and the Candidate Countries customs in areas defined as high mutual interest.
The program is supposed to improve security levels at the external borders of the European Union, increase market competitiveness by simplifying customs procedures and bureaucracy and reinforce fraud protection in the EU countries, as well as in Candidate Countries.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
August 19, 2009
Macedonia and Romania Establish Cooperation for Prior Art Searches
On July 15, 2009, Macedonian and Romanian PTO officials signed a cooperation plan for prior art searches.
Since the Macedonian PTO does not have the necessary resources to perform prior art searches, the cooperation will allow Macedonia to use the services of the Romanian PTO as a qualified search contractor.
Accordingly, the Romanian PTO will assist its Macedonian counterpart in carrying out prior art searches for applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The Macedonian PTO will automatically recognize the results and expert opinion provided by the Romanian PTO.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
Macedonian Customs Seize Armani, Gillette, Hugo Boss and Prada Counterfeits
Macedonian customs authorities have recently confiscated five loads of various counterfeit goods, all of which were ordered by companies in Kosovo.
On July 25, 2009, the customs officials seized 150 counterfeit Dolce&Gabbana and Versace watches of Chinese origin. The counterfeit goods were discovered at Deve Bair on the Macedonian-Bulgarian border in a truck with Macedonian license plates.
On July 22, 2009, 3,200 counterfeit Gucci, Hugo Boss, Joop! and Prada wallets were found in a truck with Macedonian license plates at Bogorodica on the Greek-Macedonian border. The goods originated from China.
On July 11, 2009, the customs authorities seized 40,603 counterfeit Adidas, Armani, Armani Jeans, BMW, Emporio Armani, Lacoste, Mercedes, Nike, Opel and Puma labels, stickers, buttons, socks and car mats. These items originated from Turkey and were discovered at Bogorodica, in a truck with Turkish license plates.
On the same occasion, the customs officials confiscated 1,205 counterfeit Adidas, Armani, Dolce&Gabbana, G-Star and Puma T-shirts. The goods originated from Turkey and were discovered in a truck with Macedonian license plates.
Lastly, on July 10, 2009, the customs authorities seized 18,450 counterfeit Gillette manual razors. The counterfeits were found at Bogorodica on the Greek-Macedonian border, in a truck with Macedonian license plates.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
July 21, 2009
Macedonian Customs Wins Prestigious IPR Protection Award
The Macedonian Customs Administration has recently won the most prestigious award in IPR protection worldwide – the Yolanda Benitez WCO Trophy 2009 Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy.
The award was presented at the annual session of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council, held in Brussels from June 25 until June 27, 2009.
According to the WCO, the Macedonian Customs deserved the award due to the high number of seizures of counterfeit goods that could affect people’s health and safety, including automobile parts, toothpaste and detergent.
Macedonian representatives were competing with 30 other national customs administrations, out of the 174 WCO members.
The Yolanda Benitez WCO Trophy was previously awarded to the customs administrations of Italy (2008), Germany (2007), and Korea (2006).
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Emporio Armani, Hugo Boss and Versace Goods
In the past month, Macedonian customs officials seized three loads of various counterfeit goods.
On the first occasion they discovered 330 pairs of counterfeit Adidas and Converse tracksuits, 40 pairs of Diesel leggings, 960 bottles of Hugo Boss cologne, 300 pairs of Adidas and Dolce&Gabbana sunglasses.
The items were found in three trucks with Macedonian license plates at the border crossing of Bogorodica in southern Macedonia, and at the border crossing of Kafasan in western Macedonia.
The goods were of Chinese origin, and intended for importers from Skopje, Macedonia.
On the second occasion, the customs officials seized 436 counterfeit Dolce&Gabbana and Emporio Armani men’s shirts, 48 pairs of Versace slippers, and 23,000 Adidas and Nike labels.
The goods were discovered in two trucks with Turkish license plates at the border crossing of Bogorodica. They were intended for importers in Kosovo.
Lastly, during a regular inspection in the capital city of Skopje, the customs officials seized 21,000 pirated Princo DVD and 9,000 VCD discs.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
Macedonia to Get WCO Regional Training Center
A World Customs Organization (WCO) regional training center is expected to open in Skopje, Macedonia, in October 2009.
The decision about the opening was reached at the recent Europe Regional Heads of Customs Conference, held in Bergen, Norway.
According to the WCO and the Macedonian Customs, heads of 42 European national customs administrations unanimously endorsed the proposal, which will enhance WCO’s regional initiatives in capacity building.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
June 25, 2009
Macedonia and Serbia Gear up for National IP Strategies
The Macedonian and Serbian intellectual property offices have recently held separate discussions about their national strategies for intellectual property.
The Serbian IPO organized a meeting on June 15, 2009, while the Macedonian IPO held three workshops on May 26, 2009. Both events were organized in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and gathered relevant state officials, local and international IP experts.
The discussions focused on priority steps to be taken in drafting of national strategies, as well as on key institutions that should take part in the drafting of national strategies.
Workshop conclusions in Macedonia will be further discussed at the next meeting, which will take place in July and which is intended to finalize the national strategy.
On the occasion of drafting the national strategy for Macedonia, European IP expert Ron Marchant paid a visit to the Macedonian IPO to provide expert opinion and discuss relevant issues with Macedonian IP officials and experts.
Marchant also attended the meeting in Serbia where he addressed participants. Other speakers at this meeting included Milos Nedeljkovic, state secretary in the Serbian Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Michal Svantner, WIPO’s Senior Counselor, and Branka Totic, head of the Serbian IPO.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office, and Jovana Miocinovic in our Balkan Regional Office.
Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Davidoff, Dove, Kenzo, Nivea, Replay and Versace Goods
On May 24, 2009, Macedonian customs officers prevented several attempts to import counterfeit goods on the country’s territory.
The customs seized 17,505 items of different types of cosmetic products, bearing the trademarks of Brut, Cool Addict, Cool Water (Davidoff), Dolce & Nobleman, Dove, Joop, Kenzo, Nivea and Rexona.
They also seized 1,795 counterfeit Adidas, Armani, Chanel, Dolce & Gabanna, Replay and Versace apparel and accessory items.
The goods were found in the town of Gevgelija on the Greek-Macedonian border, in a truck driven by an Albanian citizen. The counterfeit goods are of Chinese origin and were intended for the Macedonian market.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
May 12, 2009
Counterfeit Marlboro, Johnny Walker, Ballantine’s and Microsoft Items Destroyed in Macedonia
On April 24, 2009, Macedonian officials destroyed various counterfeit goods near the capital city of Skopje.
They destroyed 55,324 pirated CDs and DVDs with films and music, including Microsoft software. In addition, they seized 34,00 bottles of Johnny Walker, Ballantine’s and Zholta, Macedonia’s most famous aperitif.
The officials also destroyed 20,520 cartons of Marlboro, Karelia Slims, Boss, Lord, Parliament and Partner cigarettes, as well as five counterfeit EUR 200 banknotes, four counterfeit Macedonian denar (MKD) 1,000 banknotes, and two counterfeit MKD 500 banknotes.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia office.
Macedonian Customs Seizes Counterfeit Lacoste, Versace, Puma Apparel
During their regular inspection at border crossings on April 28 and 29, 2009, Macedonian customs officials discovered several loads of counterfeit apparel, and initiated a legal procedure to verify the authenticity of the seized goods.
In total, the customs officials seized 1,854 items of counterfeit male underwear, T-shirts and socks bearing the logos of Versace, Puma, Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Adidas, Emporio Armani, and Dolce & Gabbana.
The goods were loaded in Greece and Turkey and were found in three trucks with Macedonian license plates. They were on their way to Macedonian importers.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia office.
Macedonian Customs Holds Training on IP Protection
On April 21-23, 2009, the Macedonian Customs held a training session on the enforcement of the Law on the Customs Measures for the Protection of IP Rights.
The training was held as part of the TAIEX program in Macedonia. TAIEX stands for the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument of the Institution Building unit of the Directorate-General Enlargement of the European Commission. Its aim is to provide the new EU member states, acceding countries, candidate countries, and the administrations of the Western Balkans with short-term technical assistance in the field of approximation, application and enforcement of EU legislation.
The following topics were addressed at the training session: how to enforce the customs legislation in Macedonia and in the EU member states, plans for new EU regulations, the EU Action Plan for IP rights for 2009-2012, and ways to improve Macedonia’s customs work in the area of IP rights protection.
The training was conducted by Daniel Koener from the Luxembourg Customs, and Antonio Lloret Macián from the Spanish Customs.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia office.
April 14, 2009
Macedonian Customs Destroy Counterfeit Cosmetics and Apparel
On March 17, 2009, the Macedonian Customs Administration destroyed various counterfeit goods seized in the second half of 2008.
Customs officials destroyed 3,480 counterfeit Lancôme’s Hypnose hair gel items, 637 pairs of Converse tracksuits, 38 Louis Vuitton handbags, 590 pairs of Adidas tracksuits, 77 pairs of Dolce & Gabbana jeans and 22 belts, as well as 185 counterfeit Armani caps.
The destruction was carried out at the landfills at Gevgelija in southern Macedonia, and at Strumica in southeastern part of the country.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
March 26, 2009
Macedonian PTO to Host UNECE Seminar on Management of IP Rights
The Macedonian State Office of Industrial Property will host a sub-regional capacity-building seminar on the management and enforcement of intellectual property rights on April 1 – 3, 2009.
The seminar is jointly organized by the Team of Specialists on Intellectual Property (ToS-IP) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the Macedonian State Office of Industrial Property.
Mihajlo Zatezalo, head of the SD PETOSEVIC Balkan Regional Office, will be one of the key note speakers at the event, and will deliver a lecture entitled “Anti-Counterfeiting in the Balkan Region”.
According to the UNECE, the goal of the seminar is to outline good practices in the management of intellectual property rights in relation to the commercialization of public research results. Participants will also discuss the enforcement of the existing intellectual property rights through border measures and market inspections.
The event will gather high-level representatives of intellectual property offices, relevant ministries and academic institutions from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
For more information, please contact Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
March 17, 2009
New Macedonian Industrial Property Law Enters into Force
The new Macedonian Law on Industrial Property entered into force on February 25, 2009.
Among other things, the law allows interested parties to initiate an administrative dispute against decisions made by the Macedonian Office of Industrial Property before the Administrative Court of Macedonia.
Parties can do so by initiating a lawsuit before the Administrative Court of the Republic of Macedonia within a period of 30 days following the issuance of the decision.
The new law also makes it possible for third parties to oppose published trademarks on absolute grounds.
According to the new law, patent applicants are required to state their choice of examination procedure directly in the application no later than six months after filing an application.
Another novelty concerns the payment of patent annuities, as it is no longer necessary to obtain the power of attorney for this purpose.
For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska or Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.
February 16, 2009
Macedonia adopts new Industrial Property law
On February 12, 2009, the Parliament in Macedonia adopted a new Industrial Property law, expected to be in force in March.
The changes in the law are the result of Macedonia’s ratification of the European Patent Convention and becoming a member of the European Patent Organization on January 1, 2009.
The most important change concerns Macedonia’s patent filing procedure.
The new law also makes it possible for third parties to oppose published trademarks on absolute grounds.
As soon as the law is published we will be able to provide further details, as well as the English translation.
For further information, please contact Zivka Kostovska in our Macedonia Office.
December 04, 2007
Slovenia and Macedonia IPOs Sign Cooperation Agreement
On November 16th, the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office and the State Office of Industrial Property of the Republic of Macedonia Signed a Cooperation Agreement.
The two IPOs agree to promote protection of intellectual property through activities such as exchange of information, exchange and training of staff and joint activities aiming at raising awareness of intellectual property. The Agreement replaces a similar 1996 Agreement between the two IPOs.
For more information, please contact our Macedonia representative.
December 29, 2004
Macedonia customs authorities prepared a draft law on customs measures for the protection of intellectual property rights
The law is expected to enter into force in early 2005.
The draft law in question is in accordance with Regulation No. 1383/2003 of the European Council, dated July 22, 2003. It provides measures that will allow customs authorities to undertake action in order to secure intellectual property rights.
Among other things, the law spells out the actions that the customs authorities would be able to undertake ex officio. In addition, it regulates the requests filed with the customs authorities and the procedures to be followed with the infringing goods. It also addresses the rights, obligations and the responsibilities of the customs authorities and of the rights holder.
In the interim and prior to enforcement of the customs law, the above-mentioned matters will be regulated by the Industrial Property Law of Macedonia.
For more information, please contact our Macedonia representative.
August 25, 2004
Amendments to the Macedonian Trademark Law
Recent amendments affect deadlines by which one can respond to refusal decisions issued by the PTO.
The amendments are part of the new and recently finalized Macedonian Trademark Act. They affect both national and international deadlines for responding to refusal decisions issued by the Macedonian PTO.
For national applications in Macedonia, the deadline to respond to a refusal decision is 30 days, with a possible 6-month extension of time.
By the same amendment, international applicants designating Macedonia now have a 3-month deadline to respond to a refusal decision. However, there is no possibility to extend this 3-month period.
For more information on the new Trademark Law in Macedonia, please contact our Macedonia representative.