OREANDA-NEWS. September 05, 2011. Economics Minister, Deputy Premier Valeriu Lazar chaired a meeting of the State Agency for Intellectual Property (AGEPI), focused on the AGEPI's latest achievements.

According to the Economics Ministry's public relations and protocol service, the director of the aforementioned institution, Lilia Bolocan, informed that the AGEPI had elaborated amendments to the law on copyright and connected rights and had coordinated the amendments with the relevant public authorities. They are to be approved by the Justice Ministry and subsequently submitted to the government.

Also, the AGEPI worked out a draft regulation on the registration of issues protected by the copyright and connected rights, and a draft regulation on the Mediation Commission, the blueprints being subsequently submitted to the relevant authorities.

The draft regulation on collective management of copyrights and connected rights, elaborated by the AGEPI, is presently under public consultations. The Economics Ministry analyzed at a public meeting the possibility to involve the state into the regulation of the minimal tariffs in the collective management sector, as well as the opportunity to work out a regulation on the minimal payment rates to authors.

Also, the participants in the meeting examined the National Strategy of Intellectual Property for 2012-2015. Lazar emphasized the need to adjust the blueprint to the long-term National Development Strategy "Moldova 2020".

Lazar also noted that a long-term strategy with a wider framework would create a broader vision on the field regulated by the AGEPI. He added that a comprehensive development plan for the next two years should be set forth. Thus, the AGEPI will complete the long-term strategy and will present it for approval and public consultations.

The last issue tackled at the meeting was the AGEPI's status. The commission's members decided to set up a working group with the participation of the relevant authorities, which will deal with the completion of the agency's status.