Patent Law and Innovations in Latvia
European Newsletter, November 2006
7 Pages Posted: 3 Oct 2007
Abstract
The Latvian Patent Office was established in 1991. Since then, an innovation survey conducted by the Latvian Central Statistical Bureau in 2004 found that in the period between 2001 and 2003, only 19% of the Latvian enterprises surveyed introduced on the market new or significantly improved products (goods or services), or introduced within their enterprises new and/or significantly improved technological processes.
A comparison of these results with the data of the previous innovation survey in Latvia taken in the period 1999-2001 shows that that no notable changes have taken place in respect of enterprises engaged in innovation. The comparison also indicates that in the period 1998-2000, 44% of enterprises within the EU produced innovations, but that the number of patented inventions in Latvia was one of the lowest in Europe.
In the context of the above, the paper examines the patent regulatory scene in Latvia and assesses its conformity with international requirements and to identify deficiencies and shortfalls in the application of patent law in Latvia in practice. It also comments on the effectiveness of the current patent regulatory scene in Latvia from the perspective of its relative efficiency (as compared to other countries).
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