The Government together with the public must take additional measures for stimulating patent holder to keep to European standards in their activities that is envisaged by the Business Patent Law. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin put such task at a sitting, devoted to the execution of Law 208-XVI.

The sitting was being held on the eve of patent holders’ protest action, slated for Thursday, in the center of Chisinau. This action was staged by the Small Business Association.

According to the presidential press service, Minister of Economy and Trade Igor Dodon reported at the sitting that more than a half (2600) of patent holders, who fell under the first and second stage of the Patent Law, has already fulfilled its requirements and have registered their independent enterprises on a privileged basis.

Ministerial experts, employees of the National Tax Inspection and registration bodies are conducting an explanatory work with the remaining former patent holders, mainly small businessmen.

Association Chairman Eugen Roscovan expressed the small businessmen’s opinion that it is better to raise the patent cost than to change an organizational form. He quoted data of the USAID’s survey, which testify to equal contribution to the state budget in the frame of an individual enterprise or on the patent basis.

The President called upon the sides for a dialogue to determine optimal variants for solving this problem. He recognized that the patent-based system of activities exists even in more developed countries, but it functions in a civilized way in respect of clearly determined group of goods, produced by patent holders themselves.

In the President’s words, the patent system, introduced in Moldova in the 90ies served as a possibility to overcome the consequences of a severe economic crisis for some population categories.

“Today Moldova’s entire system and all its national economy is being developing and it must approach the contemporary European civilized rules”, he underlined.

According to this law, it is forbidden to trade in electrical devices and appliances, to make passenger conveyances, flower growing and sale, manufacture and sale of building materials from January 1, 2007, from the 2008 the trade on the patent basis was forbidden in rooms, which area is less than 12 square meters. It is also forbidden to sell livestock products. It is planned to complete the reform by 2009, when the street trade in all kind of products, from vehicles at the markets, in soft drinks and printing matter will be forbidden. Former patent holders can register individual enterprises. However, they do not haste to use such privileges and motivate it by the lack of financial resources. They demand to preserve patent-based activities. The authorities motivate their refusal from patent activities by the fact that about a half of all the trade operation fell on the non-organized trade. Besides, the budget loses millions of lei because of the underpayment of taxes by patent holders. By the end of 2006 there were about 40 thousand patent holders in Moldova. More than 60% of patents were for commercial activities. The monthly patent fee is from 21 to 420 lei in urban areas and from 7 to 70 lei in rural areas.  // Infotag



Publication date: 08 February 2008   

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