The City of Liepāja joins the European Network of Authenticities

To promote awareness of Liepāja residents about the protection of intellectual property, to educate in implementing authentic product purchasing habits in daily life, to raise the profile of Liepāja as a city that recognises authentic products and takes all necessary measures to combat counterfeiting and its distribution, on Tuesday, 28 February, the Liepāja City Council will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Patent Office on cooperation in the European Cooperation Project “European Network of Authenticities”

In January, the Liepāja City Council decided to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Patent Office, setting out the obligations and responsibilities of the parties in participating and cooperating in the project “European Network of Authenticities”, that has been launched by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in the framework of its European Cooperation activities and the Strategic Plan 2025.

It includes the organisation of a variety of awareness-raising events and activities aimed at focusing public attention on the importance of authentic and genuine products and services, the recognition of counterfeit and piracy, etc.

The main goal is to raise awareness of the importance of original design and authentic products and services through various public activities.

The project has now involved seven European cities – Thessaloniki and Mykonos (Greece), Sofia and Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Banská Bystrica (Slovakia), Madrid (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal).

The municipality of Liepāja is the only Latvian municipality to have been invited to participate in the project.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the Municipality of Liepāja and the Patent Office will be signed on Tuesday, 28 February, at 11.00 at the Liepāja Music, Art and Design High School, at 18 Alejas Street.

The event is open to all interested persons, especially representatives of creative industries. The event will be attended by representatives of the Liepāja Municipality, the Patent Office, the Liepāja Music, Art and Design High School, the representatives of the European Capital of Culture 2027 project, the State Police, Customs, Border Guard, creative entrepreneurship, and other relevant industries.

A free-form discussion on various authenticity issues is also expected.‍