Madrid Agreement (1891) and the Singapore Convention (2006). The regulations protecting industrial property underwent far more considerable administrative regulations than in reference to copyright and related rights, and the Patent Office became the central public administration authority appointed for protection of industrial property. The primary responsibilities of the Patent Office, apart from registering patents and marks, include resolving disputes arising in the context of registration. Interestingly enough, in the proceedings before the Patent Office, representing its participants by lawyers and counsellors has been excluded and the only authorized plenipotentiaries are patents attorneys. An amendment to the Act enabling all professional plenipotentiaries representing their clients before the Patent Office was submitted in the Parliament only in 2014. The Patent Office decisions with regard to industrial property are not controlled by civil courts (contrary to disputes concerning copyright and related rights), but by administrative courts, which constitutes another characteristic feature of the system of protection of these rights. The novelty that made the development of intellectual property copyright protection in Poland more dynamic was implementing in 2010 the system of financing science, in which the principal role belonged to financing the so-called commercialization of scientific achievements of Polish higher education institutions. The authority of public administration that possesses statutory competencies regarding "national" financing of scientific achievements of Polish higher education institutions which could be implemented within the scope of the activities of Polish entrepreneurs operating on the territory of the Republic of Poland is the Minister of Science, on behalf of whom a special government agency called the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR) operates. Apart from the budget 1, 2011) has obtained the rights of Intermediary Institution with regard to three European Union operational programmes (Human Resources Development, Innovative Economy and Infrastructure and Development), within which it operates with the amount of ca. EUR 4bn in the nearest settlement period, for commercialization of science. In spite of almost a hundred years of tradition related to intellectual the opportunity for adequate financing of creative achievements of Polish scientists has existed only for a few years, within the scope of adopting the results of their activities for commercial needs. There is no doubt that the inflow of such a considerable amount of funds has increased the demand for legal service related to the said process. |