Minister Assistant to the Prime Minister
President of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property
President of the Portuguese National Group of the AIPPI
Members of the Executive Committee of the AIPPI

Allow, before going any further, to greet the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and in particular its Executive Committee, who decided to hold the meeting here in Lisbon.

I believe you know that as a result of many years’ work as an attorney in the field of industrial property rights, I am particularly sensitive to the importance of intellectual property and the instruments to ensure its protection.

This protection is decisive to promote the scientific, technological, economic, social and cultural development of modern societies. Its legal and regulatory frameworks protect the actual effort of creation and innovation, as well as the spirit of enterprise and cultural specificities in a wide range of economic, geographical and social spaces of our world.
Nevertheless, protection must also comply with regulatory frameworks designed to avoid negative effects for society, particularly in sensitive areas of knowledge, such as public health.

On the other hand, each country’s internal legislation should keep up with the evolution of the various areas of Industrial Property Law worldwide. In Europe, some of the core issues designed to harmonise modalities and procedures are discussed within the scope of the European Union, and here too, the concern (which I know is shared by all of you) is to avoid inefficient regulations.

The road to harmonisation is a hard one and many issues remain open to discussion. But the road is a necessary one to avoid contradictions and conflicts and, whilst respecting the principles of subsidiarity, keep up with the inexorable changes wrought by globalisation and the information society without losing sight of the objectives of protection and its role in the development of our societies.
I wish you a profitable working meeting.


			Discurso de SEXA PR por ocasião da Sessão de Abertura do Comité Executivo da AIPPI - Association Internationale Pour La Protection de La Propriété Intelectuelle (versão em inglês) Lisboa 18 de Junho de 2002 Minister Assistant to the Prime Minister President of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property President of the Portuguese National Group of the AIPPI Members of the Executive Committee of the AIPPI Allow, before going any further, to greet the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and in particular its Executive Committee, who decided to hold the meeting here in Lisbon. I believe you know that as a result of many years’ work as an attorney in the field of industrial property rights, I am particularly sensitive to the importance of intellectual property and the instruments to ensure its protection. This protection is decisive to promote the scientific, technological, economic, social and cultural development of modern societies. Its legal and regulatory frameworks protect the actual effort of creation and innovation, as well as the spirit of enterprise and cultural specificities in a wide range of economic, geographical and social spaces of our world. Nevertheless, protection must also comply with regulatory frameworks designed to avoid negative effects for society, particularly in sensitive areas of knowledge, such as public health. On the other hand, each country’s internal legislation should keep up with the evolution of the various areas of Industrial Property Law worldwide. In Europe, some of the core issues designed to harmonise modalities and procedures are discussed within the scope of the European Union, and here too, the concern (which I know is shared by all of you) is to avoid inefficient regulations. The road to harmonisation is a hard one and many issues remain open to discussion. But the road is a necessary one to avoid contradictions and conflicts and, whilst respecting the principles of subsidiarity, keep up with the inexorable changes wrought by globalisation and the information society without losing sight of the objectives of protection and its role in the development of our societies. I wish you a profitable working meeting.