Azerbaijan’s intellectual property model praised at Moscow Conference

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the Second International Conference “Science for Public Administration in Russia” was held on November 6 at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) in Moscow. Azernews reports that the event featured presentations on the role of intellectual property (IP) in public administration across the Eurasian region, with Azerbaijan’s state policy in the field of intellectual property highlighted as a model example.

Speaking at the conference, Grigory Ivliev, Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation, First-Class State Advisor, former head of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent), and current President of the Eurasian Patent Office, delivered a report on “Regional Regulation of Intellectual Property Issues in the Eurasian Space.”

In his remarks, Ivliev emphasized the need to establish a unified executive body capable of centralizing management functions in copyright, related rights, and industrial property, and of formulating and implementing state policy in the IP field. He noted that Russia currently lacks such a unified structure and recommended learning from Azerbaijan’s successful experience.

Referring to Azerbaijan’s Intellectual Property Agency, established in 2018, Ivliev praised its comprehensive management model covering all aspects of intellectual property. Citing an article by Kamran Imanov, Chairman of the Board of the Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, published in the authoritative international journal “Industrial Property”, Ivliev highlighted that the creation of the Agency stemmed from large-scale institutional reforms implemented under President Ilham Aliyev.

Within these reforms, the Patent Center of the former State Committee for Standardization, Metrology, and Patents and the Copyright Agency were merged to form a single, independent authority — the Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This body, established by a presidential decree, was granted an executive status equal to that of other central government institutions.

Ivliev noted that Azerbaijan’s approach reflects a modern understanding of intellectual property that goes beyond traditional legal frameworks to include economic and socio-cultural dimensions. The integration of industrial property and copyright under one institutional umbrella, he said, demonstrates the effectiveness of this comprehensive model.

Quoting statistical data, Ivliev stated that 98 countries worldwide have unified intellectual property agencies, of which 37 operate independently without being subordinate to other bodies. “Among these 37 developed countries, Azerbaijan occupies a special place,” he stressed. “This successful experience results from President Ilham Aliyev’s reforms, through which Azerbaijan’s IP system performs not only legal but also economic and socio-cultural functions.”

The conference was also attended by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, RANEPA Rector Alexei Komissarov, Director General of the Presidential Library Yuri Nosov, and other officials.