In any foreign market, companies should consider several general principles for effective protection of their intellectual property. IP protection in Moldova differs from that in the United States. IP rights must be registered and enforced under Moldovan law, as U.S. trademark or patent registrations do not grant enforceable rights without local registration. Therefore, it is important to secure patent, design, or trademark protections before launching products or services in Moldova.
Ideally, an IP strategy should be considered globally, prior to publicly disclosing IP in any country, to avoid losing rights beyond the United States.
For background, please refer to Protecting Intellectual Property and Stopfakes.gov for more resources.
The State Agency on Intellectual Property AGEPI deals with patent and copyright applications and registrations. To access the Moldova Investment Climate Statement, which includes information on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, visit the U.S. Department of State Investment Climate Statement website.
The U.S. Commerce Department has positioned intellectual property attachés in several markets around the world. For Moldova, please check the IP Attache Program | USPTO.
For more information, contact ITA’s Office of Intellectual Property Rights Director, Stevan Mitchell at Stevan.Mitchell@trade.gov.