On February 26, 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the launch of a new economic platform “Made in Ukraine” within the framework of the forum of the same name. The platform is to become a platform for dialogue between the state and Ukrainian entrepreneurs.
The President also outlined the main tasks of the new platform:
First, the “Made in Ukraine” platform should become a platform for ongoing direct dialogue between the state and entrepreneurs.
Secondly, the government will try to do everything possible to ensure that as many Ukrainian businesses as possible can maintain and scale their operations. The Cabinet of Ministers has already received instructions on specific steps.
Thirdly, the platform will allow us to agree on a completely modern moral contract between society and business, between the state and business.
Also, within the framework of the “Made in Ukraine” forum, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a cashback program for the purchase of Ukrainian goods. The program may be launched as early as this year. Under the program, Ukrainian citizens will be able to receive a portion of the money spent on goods made by Ukrainian producers, which will be returned to a special card. But the president did not specify the mechanism for obtaining and operating these cards.
Recently, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the image of the “Зроблено в Україні” trademark by Resolution No. 197 dated 23.02.2024 to promote Ukrainian-made goods, increase domestic demand for nationally produced goods and raise the level of general awareness of the Ukrainian community about the national producer.
According to the Resolution, the Ministry of Economy is to ensure the submission of an application for state registration of the trademark in accordance with the established procedure, develop and approve a technical standard (brand book) based on the image.
The Resolution also recommends that state authorities, local governments, enterprises, institutions and organizations, regardless of ownership, use the trademark image in accordance with the technical standard (brand book).
“The use of the trademark image approved by this resolution by state bodies, local governments, enterprises, institutions and organizations, regardless of ownership, is free of charge,” the document says.
However, it is worth noting that the registration of the respective trademark will create legal prerequisites for approving its use and applying the trademark exclusively in the form specified in the future brand book.
Thus, if the Ministry of Economy sends the application to the Ukrainian National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovations (UNOIPI) (IP office), which provides registration of trademarks and issuance of registration certificates, in about two and a half years the trademark “Зроблено в Україні” will be registered and available for use by the relevant enterprises, institutions and organizations regardless of ownership.
Advantages of the TM “Зроблено в Україні“
Labeling your own goods with the appropriate “Made in Ukraine” trademark will allow both consumers and producers to gain a number of advantages, including
1) Since trademarks are an effective communication tool, the indication of the “Зроблено в Україні” trademark will be a vivid message about you, your company and your company’s products as purely Ukrainian, popularizing Ukrainian goods.
2) The Ukrainian market is overcrowded, especially now during the full-scale invasion, and it is not immediately clear just by looking at the product (without reading the label) that it is a Ukrainian product. TM “Зроблено в Україні” is an effective tool of commercial communication to attract the attention of consumers who will immediately realize that they are dealing with a Ukrainian product, which can be a decisive factor in the consumer’s decision to buy your product.
3) The opportunity for the consumer to purchase a really high-quality Ukrainian product from a well-known manufacturer at a more affordable price than the same product of foreign production.
4) Exclusivity for a Ukrainian product that is being imported, namely, its representation only in a specific network.
And we would like to remind you once again that registering a brand as a trademark is like insuring your business. This is one of the first and most important steps you need to take right at the start of your business in order to prevent major problems and losses in the future. With a trademark, you get exclusivity of use, legal protection of your brand, and even an advantage in resolving domain name disputes.
copyright / intellectual property / Made in Ukraine / trademark / Зроблено в Україні
