At a time when Ukraine is facing many challenges—a pandemic, full-scale war, digital transformation—ensuring effective protection of intellectual property is becoming an integral part of national security, innovative development, and economic stability. It is in this context that the activities of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Ukrainian National Bar Association (hereinafter – UNBA) take on strategic importance. The head of the UNAA Committee on Intellectual Property, Yuriy Romanyuk, outlines the mission, plans, and challenges facing the legal community in this area today. In this article, we will take a closer look at Yuriy Romanyuk’s new insights and comments.
The issue of protecting intellectual property during wartime
Yuriy Romanyuk rightly points out that this fall, the Committee will celebrate its fifth anniversary, which is a relatively short period of time, but one that was formed during very difficult times. Created during the pandemic, the Committee began its work during the most difficult period for the country, when there was a lack of peace and stability. However, these conditions became the impetus for the creation of the first institutional mechanisms—the foundation on which further development is being built today.
Today, the Committee is updating its mission: it is no longer just an advisory body—it is a leading, influential authority in the field of intellectual property. Its main task is to shape the agenda in the field of IP, rather than just responding to potential challenges.
“Our team is not just continuing the Committee’s activities — we are rethinking its mission. Today, our task is to become a recognizable expert platform that not only supports legislative initiatives but also shapes the IP agenda for years to come,” says Yuriy Romanyuk.
The team is the strength
The Committee consists of more than ten lawyers from different regions, including both well-known experts and young lawyers with high potential. Yuriy Romanyuk emphasizes that this is not a “closed club,” as is sometimes questioned, but rather an open network of professional interaction, ready to accept new faces: practitioners, law professors, experts in IT, culture, security — in short, those who think interdisciplinarily.
“Intellectual property has long been about more than just law. It is also about security, economics, culture, and digital technology. And we are looking for people who understand this context,” says Yuriy.
Three-level strategy for the coming years
Yuriy Romanyuk outlines the key elements of development:
- Legislative influence. The committee seeks not only to comment on draft laws, but also to create them, participate in working groups, and integrate European standards into Ukrainian legislation, in particular through the preparation of expert opinions.
- Information equality. Creation of analytical materials, practical reviews, organization of educational events accessible to lawyers from any region.
- The committee should become a platform for interaction not only for lawyers, but also for specialists in IT, media, culture, and security, since intellectual property no longer exists in isolation from broader socio-economic processes.
National Intellectual Property System: Steps Forward and Obstacles
War changes the nature of intellectual property: now it is not just inventions or works — it is identity, symbols of the state, narratives, visual images that have cultural and moral significance. Often, such objects are dual in nature: patented technology that is also a state secret.
Therefore, the task of developing legal approaches to protect both developers and the state is extremely complex and responsible.
Yuriy Romanyuk aptly puts it: “Intellectual property in Ukraine is in a state of semi-reform.” Although institutions such as the Ukrainian National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation (hereinafter referred to as UKRNOIVI) have already been established, there are grounds for moving forward, but bureaucratic barriers are hindering the implementation of fundamental changes.
Among the draft laws that the Committee actively supports or monitors are:
№ 2259 — reform of patent legislation;
№ 9383 — improvement of patent legislation under martial law;
№ 6464 — implementation of Directive 2004/48/EC on the protection of intellectual property;
№ 13110 and No. 131111 — property rights to IP objects created in connection with military service.
There is an important institutional project — the creation of a Higher Court for Intellectual Property (IP Court) — which should bring a new quality to the judicial process: speed, uniform practice, specialized judges, and, importantly, a signal to investors about effective mechanisms for protecting intellectual property.
The following clearly emerges from an interview with Yuriy Romanyuk, Chairman of the UNAA Committee on Intellectual Property: The UNAA Committee on Intellectual Property is not just a formal advisory body. It is a vibrant, ambitious hub of professionals focused on strategic development. By choosing openness, interdisciplinarity, and active participation in the legislative process, the Committee itself shapes its mission: to act as a bridge between practice, law, and government structures. It paves the way for a legal system capable of protecting intellectual property while serving as the foundation for Ukraine’s sustainable development amid global challenges.
