Intellectual property is one of the greatest competitive advantages of any company and of a country as a whole. Knowledge, innovation, and creativity are the core values on which we must build economic and societal development.
AmCham Intellectual Property Committee
Key areas of the Committee’s work
Development of Intellectual Property and a Strategy for Its Regulation in Slovenia and the European Union
A high-tech economy needs a supporting research infrastructure and a highly qualified workforce, which are integral parts of all globally successful tech companies. This area requires further development in Slovenia since current legislation and the existing body of case law are inadequate. At the same time, the Committee is (still) seeing an inadequate understanding of the importance of protecting intellectual property and the ownership of rights, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises, so particular attention needs to be dedicated to this area. The Committee wants to be actively involved in preparing future national strategies for intellectual property development since only in this way can we protect the Slovenian economy in the global market.
Importance of Transferring Knowledge From Research Institutions to Industry
We aim to foster a closer connection between universities and other educational and research institutions on the one hand and industry on the other. Universities must become the focal point of research and development and facilitate the optimal commercialization of inventions and other intellectual property rights. With their vision and development plans, businesses must become an important bridge between education and research institutions and the needs of the market and wider society.
The Issue of Employment-Related Inventions and Copyright
Of exceptional importance for the successful development of the companies and individuals that are the backbone of the development of new technological and business solutions is the proper regulation of employment-related inventions and copyrights, something to which the Committee will devote its attention over the next two years. Since we are noticing that our members have problems with the implementation of the provisions of the Employment-Related Inventions Act in practice, we will prepare a review and comparison of Slovenian legislation with German and Austrian legislation and propose improvements to the Slovenian legal framework so that this area is more easily manageable for employers, while at the same time ensuring the necessary transparency for employees.
Upcoming Digital Regulation – “Europe’s Digital Decade”
In the coming years, familiarity with and implementation of the European digital regulatory framework currently being formulated by the European Union as part of “Europe’s digital decade” will be of key importance. This includes some bundles of legislation that will significantly shape the European and Slovenian digital landscape: the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act, the Artificial Intelligence Act, regulations covering access to data, and numerous other (related) regulations. The Intellectual Property Committee will, therefore, devote particular attention to raising awareness among AmCham Slovenia members in the area of European digital regulation.
Data in the Digital Age, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence
In new business models, the acquisition, sharing, protection, and use of data and its value are “pivotal for societal progress, especially in the areas of economic growth, competitiveness, innovation and job creation.”2 “The EU is working towards data-based innovations but, at the same time, wishes to maintain a balance between the free circulation of data and maintaining privacy, protection, security, and ethical standards.”3 The two key pillars of the European strategy for data are the Data Governance Act and the Data Act. The latter “defines rights to access and use data generated in the EU across all economic sectors and will make it easier to share data, in particular industrial data.”
The Intellectual Property Committee also recognizes numerous opportunities for Slovenian companies in the data management field, particularly in connection with cybersecurity and the development of artificial intelligence. With the proliferation and spread of artificial intelligence systems, questions of copyright and other intellectual property rights are being raised. These are questions of an ethical and legal nature.
Committee members
Who are the members of the Committee?
See the full list of Committee members.
Join the AmCham Intellectual Property Committee
For all questions related to the Committee’s work, you can turn to our Committee coordinator Vida Dolenc Pogačnik, our COO and International Cooperation Director.
Vida Dolenc Pogačnik
COO and International Cooperation Director