The Rector Awarded an Honorary Plaque to the World Expert in Intellectual Property Vladimir Yosifov

Tuesday, 13 July 2021 19:10

The Rector awarded an honorary plaque for contribution in the field of intellectual property and innovation to Vladimir Yosifov - one of the most prominent specialists in the field of intellectual property and innovation, implementation of inventions and technology transfer, scientific, technical and patent information. The official ceremony took place in the Ceremonial Hall. It was attended by the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, the Honorary Rector Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov, the Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mihail Musov, the Vice-Rector for Institutional and Business Cooperation and Student Policies Prof. Dr. Tsvetana Stoyanova, representatives of the Department and the Institute of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer.

Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov, Vladimir Yosifov and Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov

The Rector Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov pointed out that analyzing the field of intellectual property, even from the security point of view, all topics related to it turn out to be not only extremely interesting, but also extremely important for the development of economy. He gave as example the work on the new project "Wonders of Bulgaria - Digital Routes" - a joint initiative of UNWE and Standard Newspaper. "The first question that arose when we started working was how to protect the intellectual property related to the project so there is lots of work and the necessity of enlightment in this area is huge", pointed out Prof. Dimitrov.

The Honorary Rector Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov - Founder of the Department of Intellectual Property – expressed thankfulness to the UNWE Managing body for paying tribute to Mr. Vladimir Yosifov for his work and efforts over those more than 20 years of cooperation. He reminded that Mr. Yosifov was the first person to establish contacts between the Department of Intellectual Property at UNWE and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). "Vladimir Yosifov helped the educational process in the Academy of Intellectual Property at WIPO to be incorporated in our country and a large part of disciplines studied there to become part of the curriculum of our students", said Prof. Borisov, adding that the Masters in "Intellectual Property and Business" and "Creative Industries and Business" receive also a certificate by the WIPO to their diplomas.

"It is a great honor and pleasure for me to receive this award from the university", said Vladimir Yosifov, emphasizing that there are still many opportunities to apply the intellectual property both in a global scale and in Bulgaria. He recommended the UNWE to do something new that has not been done in our country - an intellectual property audit – to be assessed what intellectual property we have and which deserves to be protected pointing out the Bulgarian herbs, yogurt, some essential oils etc.

He advised the young people who choose the specialty Intellectual Property to be confident in the knowledge the university will provide for them. "The Intellectual property is important for all countries that intend to develop their future industry and the future of a country. Not only trademarks must be known but above all the intellectual property must be part of each development programme of our country or industry. When a young person chooses to work in the field of intellectual property he is led by several elements. First, maybe he will make a good career, second, he will have an interesting job and will be a sought as specialist in a certain field. Companies that care about their development pay special importance to the protection of their intellectual property.

The role of intellectual property for Bulgaria and the economy is very important. Unfortunately, in the field of innovation, although much is said, it has lost its leading role compared to what it was 30 years ago. But if Bulgaria wants to use the minds and knowledge of its specialists it must put more efforts to protect intellectual property. Intellectual property provides a competitive advantage in the international market. For me, if Bulgaria pays more attention to intellectual property not only in the field of industry and innovation but also in the field of agriculture and traditional knowledge, it will get a much better competitive position on the international market. Regarding the creative industries there are very few leading Bulgarian companies that create advertisements for their clients and are sought from abroad. But unfortunately, Bulgarian companies very rarely use the services of Bulgarian advertising agencies. There also has an intellectual property which should be protected and assessed", said Mr. Yosifov. In addition to the honorary plaque, he also received a jubilee coin "100 years UNWE".

Since 1981, Vladimir Yosifov has occupied various positions including senior ones at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. During his work at WIPO he participated and led the development and incorporation of patent information infrastructure and the transfer of inventions and new technologies in various countries, as well as the development and implementation of national infrastructure to promote and support innovations and inventions. He also develops and manages the organization's programme for awards for inventors and creators, creates and develops the WIPO initiative for universities. Since 2007 he has been a consultant Management of Intellectual Property Assets, Policies and Strategies in the Field of Intellectual Property, Innovation, Licensing, Technology Transfer". He is a member of the Licensing Executives Society, a lecturer and consultant in the field of intellectual property for various organizations, such as the European Patent Organization (EPO), the Commission of the European Communities, the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), the Austrian Economic Service , consultant to the English company Cambridge IP, consultant to the Bulgarian delegations participating in the work of WIPO, part-time lecturer in intellectual property at UNWE.

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