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Patents and Standards

Course developer

Course abstract

During the course students become acquainted with the types of intellectual property: copyright, databases, trademarks and service marks, domain names, geographical indications, designs, patentable inventions, know-how, plant varieties. Familiarize with the legal framework and protection of intellectual property objects. They learn about the most important types of standardization in the agricultural sector, agricultural product certification, standards and quality indicators.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge of types of intellectual property, forms of protection thereof and possibilities to use them, mastering of terminology - independent work, first test;
Skills to perform elementary searches using open access databases, calculate intellectual property registration costs; ability to find, collect and present information on the use of intellectual property, agricultural product standards, quality indicators, etc. - practical works, seminar;

Competent identification of individual objects of intellectual property - practical work, second test.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. Introduction to intellectual property, its classification, protection in Latvia and in the international space.
2. Copyright, national and international copyright laws. Collective copyright management, organizations (AKKA / LAA, LaIPA, LaPAA, etc.)
3. Trademark / service mark, geographical indications, trademark right, international classification, registration procedures, applications.
4. Domain names, collective trademark registration and use rules.
5. Designs, international classification, registration procedures, applications.
6. Know-how, trade secrets, basic principles of their protection and intellectual property rights
7. Inventions, patent rights, international classification, registration procedures. Patent as an object of property.
8. Protection of plant varieties. Rights and obligations of the breeder. Registration procedures for plant varieties.
9. Approval and registration of livestock breed in Latvia.
10. Principles and tasks of standardization. National and international standardization organization. Conformity of agricultural products to standards, quality requirements. Standards and certifications for safe food production (GLOBAL GAP, HACCP, BRC, etc.).

Topics of practical work:
1. Prapere the applications of trademarks, designs, inventions (national / international), calculation of the cost of registration.
2. Acquaintance with open access databases, search for trademarks, designs, description, cost calculation.
3. Inventions database, inventions search in databases, description.

4. Situation (case) analysis.

Requirements for awarding credit points

Test with a mark.

The final grade can be accumulated if the following conditions are met: attendance at classes (at least 85%); practical / independent work developed, submitted and successfully evaluated; public presented and successfully evaluated seminars’ topic until the end of the semester. The average mark is at least 7.
If the above mentioned conditions are not met, the final mark can be obtained: successfully completed practical / individual work, the topic of the seminar are public presented, successfully passed final test.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Individual work - terminology (prepared material is filled in by hand, subject to conditions).

During the seminar students present the prepared information on the chosen topic. The students choose the topic from the offer that the lecturer gives at the outset. Students present the prepared topic publicly.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Individual work - terminology. Evaluate pass / fail.
Students write tests according to the lesson schedule at scheduled dates. The student will not be allowed to write the next test if the previous test is not successfully passed.

The theme of the seminar shall be presented publicly according to the schedule of the classes at the specified time. Rate with a grade. Evaluate the content of the presentation (eligibility, examples, sources of used literature), presentation skills, ability to answer questions, time keeping.

Compulsory reading

1. Rozenfelds J. Intelektuālais īpašums. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2008. 272 lpp.

2. Veikša I. Kas ir autortiesības. Rīga: Biznesa augstskola Turība, 2007. 143 lpp.

Further reading

1. Cornish W.R., Llewelyn D., Aplin T. Intellectual property: patents, copyright, trade marks and allied rights. Sweet & Maxwell, 2019

2. Mantrov V. EU Law on Indications of Geographical Origin: Theory and Practice. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2014, 367 p

Periodicals and other sources

Normatīvie akti:
1. Likums „Par preču zīmēm un ģeogrāfiskās izcelsmes norādēm” (01.01.2016 stājušies spēkā grozījumi)
2. Dizainparaugu likums (01.01.2016 stājušies spēkā grozījumi)
3. Patentu likums (01.01.2016 stājušies spēkā grozījumi)
4. Augu šķirņu aizsardzības likums (01.01.2012 stājušies spēkā grozījumi)
un saistošie Ministru kabineta noteikumi, standarti.
Interneta resursi:
1. Latvijas Republikas Patentu valde (LRPV), www.lrpv.gov.lv
2. Valsts augu aizsardzības dienests (VAAD), www.vaad.gov.lv
3. Pasaules intelektuālā īpašuma organizācija (WIPO), www.wipo.int
4. Eiropas Savienības intelektuālā īpašuma birojs (EUIPO), https://euipo.europa.eu
5. Eiropas patentu iestāde (EPO), https://www.epo.org
6. Starptautiskā Jaunu augu šķirņu aizsardzības savienība (UPOV), https://www.upov.int
7. Eiropas un Vidusjūras reģiona augu aizsardzības organizācija (EPPO), www.eppo.int
8. Amerikas Savienoto valstu patentu un preču zīmju birojs (US Patent Office United States patents and trademarks office), www.uspto.gov
9. Lielbritānijas intelektuālā īpašuma birojs (Intellectual Property Office (UK)), www.ipo.gov.uk

Kā arī citu valstu un savienību iestādes un organizācijas (pēc nepieciešamības)

Notes

Compulsory course for full-time and part-time students of the professional bachelor's study program “Agriculture” of the Faculty of Agriculture, 3rd sem.