VZCZCXRO5597
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHWR #2231/01 3180904
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140904Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5487
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 002231 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO USTR FOR WMOORE 
COMMERCE FOR 4232/ITA/MAC/OECA/MROGERS, JBURGESS, JKIMBALL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD ECON KIPR PL
SUBJECT: POLISH IPR ADVANCEMENT: TRAINING FOR ALL 
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The Polish government has issued a higher 
education guideline calling for all Polish university 
students to receive instruction in intellectual property 
rights (IPR).  To our knowledge, this is the first time such 
a step has been taken anywhere in the world.  The President 
of the Polish Patent Office personally championed the 
measure.  Although the guideline is not binding, Polish 
universities appear to be taking its implementation 
seriously.  Among the challenges to implementation will be 
finding enough instructors.  IPR instruction, as envisioned 
by the guideline, should increase notably awareness of 
intellectual property rights in Poland, and hopefully lead to 
increased respect for such rights.  End summary. 
 
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New Regulation Recommends Across-the-Board IPR Instruction 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶2.  A new guideline from the Polish Ministry of Science and 
Higher Education added IPR awareness to the standards for 
university-level education, effective October 1, 2007. The 
Patent Office,s President, Alicja Adamczak, personally 
lobbied both the government and academia for the measure, 
according to her Chief of Staff, Ewa Nizinska-Matysiak.  The 
non-binding guideline recommends that universities and 
technical colleges in Poland add an IPR component to all 
programs of study, with the exception of theological programs 
and vocational schools.  IPR instruction is mandatory for 
biology and biotechnology programs. 
 
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Warsaw University Plans Significant Implementation 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶3.  Universities are studying how to implement the new 
guideline.  EconOff spoke with Konstanty Wojtaszczyk, the 
Deputy Rector for Student Affairs at one of Poland,s premier 
institutions of higher education, Warsaw University (UW).  UW 
plans to require a minimum of 30 hours of IPR instruction, 
with a recommendation of an additional 30 hours of enrichment 
activities, for a total of 60 hours.  Degree-seeking 
undergraduate students will probably receive the instruction 
in their third year of studies.  IPR instruction will be a 
university-wide requirement, but each department will 
structure a course according to the needs of their particular 
programs. 
 
¶4.  Wojtaszczyk noted that the guideline only applies to 
students who will have entered the university in 2007 or 
later.  Since the first group of affected students will not 
reach their third year until 2009, UW has some time to 
grapple with an implementation problem: a shortage of 
qualified IPR instructors.  At present only 10 potential 
instructors have been identified from the UW faculty (in the 
economics, law and management departments).  UW enrolls 
nearly 60,000 students. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Supporting Measure Promised to Train IPR Teachers 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶5.  The Ministry of Science and Higher Education is planning 
an initiative in 2008 to increase availability of  IPR 
instructors, according to the Patent Office's 
Nizinska-Matysiak.  She told EconOff that EU Human Capital 
funds, which are disbursed by the Ministry, would pay for 
both a program to produce IPR instructors, and allow their 
subsequent teaching activities to be provided free of cost to 
colleges and universities throughout Poland. 
 
--------------------------------- 
IPR Awareness Activities Continue 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  Post has informed the AmCham in Poland about the new 
guideline, and continues to facilitate the American business 
community's efforts to boost IPR education.  The AmCham is 
organizing an IPR seminar on November 15, 2007 through the UW 
Law Students, Association, and has offered assistance in 
organizing academic coursework on IPR.  The Polish Patent 
Office is also planning two conferences to heighten awareness 
on the academic level, in addition to its annual IPR 
conference. 
 
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Comment 
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WARSAW 00002231  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7.  The introduction of this guideline makes Poland a leader 
in Europe in advancing outreach on IPR issues to the next 
generation.  Poland is pushing toward becoming a 
knowledge-based economy, and is anxious to instill in youth 
the corresponding understanding of intellectual property 
protections. 
HILLAS