INTELLECTUAL ECONOMICS 2008, Number 1(3)
Alfonsas LaurinavičiusCOMMERCIAL SIGNS AS A PROTECTION CONCEPT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Mykolas Romeris University Publishing Centre. Vilnius. Lithuania 2008 Nr.1(3), p. 29–40
Summary
The article attempts to analyse the substance of trade marks, as a significant concept for international
trade development. It seeks to prove a statement that trade marks contribute to the protection of international trade and
are important to ensure the security of market and society, to implement and develop human rights.
The scope of problems related to intellectual property and its protection is affected by an increasing influence of
intellectual activities for technical progress, as well as growing profit and social effect. The globalization of economics
and liberalization of international trade are clear features of the new global civilization which expands creative
and material human possibilities. On the other hand, challenges of economics trigger new threats which can not be
overcome by traditional measures. These are threats for security of society and market, for human rights.
Intellectual property is an object of author’s and ancillary rights, as well as industrial property. Rights for the
intellectual property are the rights for a product of intellectual activity. The rights of subjects of intellectual property
had to be protected, favourable conditions had to be created so that it would be possible to profit or get investment in
the fields like industry or commerce. The product which enters the market becomes a good.
Thus, one of the newly considered human perspectives is a development and protection of the rights for intellectual
property, taking into consideration that the notion of the intellectual activity could have both positive and negative
meaning. It makes obligatory to establish a system of intellectual property, which would be capable to resist an inventive
activities of criminal world which always attempts to gain profit from abusing the intellectual property rights.
The article analyses problems of protection of industrial property objects. The problems are related to protection
of trade marks and their capability to ensure protection of society and market. Taking into consideration that enterprises
nowadays unite into global coalitions, global commercial networks develop, trade marks gain increasing importance
as a spiritual and ideological binder, a manifestation of trust.
Violation of intellectual property rights echoes on final customers, those who rely on trade marks - it violates their
right to choose original (not falsified, contrafactional) healthy products. There are examples and tendencies presented
in the article which shows why and how criminal business environment forms. The profit of the criminal world hardly
can be evaluated due to the fact that the larger part of it is latent. Their economic situation is most frequently decided
upon the negative effect it has on the society, nature, corruption, the scope of drug addiction, etc. Therefore, a concept
of trade marks is revealed as a reward for those who invest into the quality of a product and as a reliable measure to
protect the market.
One of the main functions of the state is to protect the society. The article speaks a lot about the customs as a
state institution which forms new control and regulation models to protect intellectual property (society, market). The
customs practice is significant in developing the substance of trade marks as a market protection concept in revealing
its possibilities to protect the society and market.
Keywords: Intellectual property, intellectual property rights, trade marks, civil service, control, regulation.