Ukraine expands tools for copyright protection on the Internet

Opportunities for copyright protection in the Internet space have been expanded. Ukraine has joined a number of countries that will be filling the WIPO ALERT platform to counteract the operation of websites that infringe intellectual property rights. On 21 March 2024, the Ministry of Economy adopted an order approving the procedure for the formation and maintenance of a national list of websites that raise concerns about the observance of intellectual property rights.

Thanks to the Ministry of Economy’s cooperation with the WIPO through the WIPO ALERT data exchange platform, member countries can exchange information on potential violations of intellectual property rights on an international scale. From now on, copyright and/or related rights holders can submit to the IP Office a request to include a website that raises concerns about the observance of intellectual property rights in the national list of such websites.

“Despite the challenges of a full-scale war, we are making every effort to protect copyright and related rights on the Internet for Ukrainian and foreign intellectual property rights holders. Ukraine has become one of the first countries in the world to comprehensively implement a relevant mechanism based on a secure online platform where authorised member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation can upload information about websites and applications that infringe copyright from the point of view of national norms. This is also a confident step towards Ukraine’s European integration,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

Ukraine is the fifteenth country to join the WIPO initiative. This is an important step towards creating a more secure digital space in Ukraine, which will not only help protect intellectual property rights but also further develop the national economy.

“The priority task of the Ministry of Economy is to ensure transparent conditions for conducting business in areas economically related to the distribution of content on various platforms on the Internet, to reduce cases of unfair or non-transparent competition. This, in turn, contributes to increasing the economic efficiency of legal participants in the relevant areas, improving the regulatory framework in the field of intellectual property, as well as raising national standards of copyright and related rights protection both in Ukraine and on the international level,” said Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Vitaliy Kindrativ.

Background Information

The WIPO ALERT Database is a secure online platform administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, where Authorised Participants of WIPO Member States can upload lists with detailed information about websites (as well as mobile applications) that are reasonably suspected of infringing intellectual property rights.