News
April 13, 2022 General
Estonia joined the IP Register in Blockchain
The IP Register in Blockchain continues to grow.
Progress continues in one of the most exciting and innovative areas of technology: Blockchain. Just 10 months have passed since we announced that the Maltese Commerce Department had joined the IP Register in Blockchain. We are now delighted to announce that in February another office joined the network: the Estonian Patent Office.
The EUIPO extends its sincere congratulations and thanks to the Estonian Patent Office who, together with the Maltese Commerce Department and the EUIPO, are now connected through the blockchain. The three offices can now connect to TMview and DesignView through the blockchain with near-real-time data transfer speeds.
Christian Archambeau, Executive Director of the EUIPO:
‘We are extremely pleased to welcome Estonia as an early adopter of the IP Register in Blockchain. This cutting-edge technology allows for the development of a strong distributed platform providing a secure, fast and direct connection, where data on IP rights can be tracked, traced, and therefore fully trusted. We look forward to moving together towards a further expansion of the IP Register in Blockchain.’
Margus Viher, Director General of the Estonian Patent Office:
‘Keeping up with extremely high expectations of our users of the IP system regarding the new technologies and technical level has been a challenge for the Estonian Patent Office. Cooperation with the EUIPO has enabled us to meet these high expectations and deliver professional high-level services supported by modern technical solutions and we have been honoured to be one of the piloting national offices for so many projects.’
The IP Register in Blockchain lays the foundation for a strong distributed platform enabling services that benefit from secure, fast and direct connectivity between IP Offices and rights holders. Blockchain makes data on IP rights readily available so that changes to those rights can be tracked. Thanks to smart contracts, interaction between parties will be faster and more harmonised.
The expansion of the IP Register in Blockchain has been a significant technical achievement.
Together, the participating offices will help shape and enable the future of blockchain-powered intellectual property services.
Much more is yet to come as we enter 2022, so keep watching. This year the network will be expanding even further and new services will be coming online. There’s a busy blockchain year ahead!