Andrey Krichevsky: “In Armenia there is a need for digital tools in the sphere of intellectual property rights”
Creative industries in Armenia are entering a phase of active growth, but at the same time, specialists lack technological tools for development and capitalization. The experts of Armenian Anti-Crisis Forum on Intellectual Property held in Yerevan came to that conclusion. Within the framework of the Forum, Andrey Krichevsky, the President of IPChain Association, gave an interview to A1Plus TV channel, in which he spoke about the creation of a digital network for intellectual property (IP) in Armenia.
– How do you evaluate the possibilities of intellectual property sphere development in Armenia?
– In my opinion, the prospects are very large, and I am glad that it is in Armenia, that we will create for the first time a new network for the IP sphere together with national players of the intellectual property market. I say “new”, because the network that is already functioning in Russia will be first implemented in another country. Our idea is that this is not an affiliation, but the creation of a national network by the participants of the Armenian IP market, which will be managed directly from Armenia, but, of course, connected to other global IPChain networks. In the future, each country will have its own network, and they will all be integrated into the global market. IPChain is a kind of Internet for intellectual property: for those who create and use it, and for those who want to make money on it. IPChain infrastructure is used by business structures or non-profit projects that interact directly with copyright holders, users, and other IP market players.
– What do you think are the main problems of the intellectual property market in Armenia?
– There are so many creative people in Armenia who make outstanding artistic products, but they, unfortunately, do not always reach the global market. Obviously, this requires tools – creative people should be able to monetize their intellectual property. In the near future, we will share with our Armenian colleagues our expertise on the structural model and technological platform in order to deploy infrastructure for the IP sphere. Accordingly, new nodes will be connected to the network; at present we have certain arrangements with Armenian technological colleges, research institutes, media companies, some government agencies and organizations that work with rights holders, in particular, “Armauthor”. In other words, the mechanism is already in operation, we need only to launch the “hardware” and thereafter start to fill the network with information. Next step is to launch the services that run on the IPChain. You know, after the event we talked with the leaders of the creative unions of Armenia and with the inventors. They were inspired by the idea of IPChain and offered new concepts of services on the sidelines of the forum. This is a very positive sign. In addition, with the development of the sphere of intellectual property, new jobs will appear in the country, because IPChain is a living organism that is constantly being modernized. That means, this is not something static, but a constant movement, the emergence of new ideas and projects, so we always need talented programmers and creative people.
– In what other countries will the IPChain infrastructure operate?
– IPChain is now deployed in several countries of the Eurasian Economic Union: Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia. In the near future, our infrastructure will be used in Spain and Israel, and then we will focus on Singapore, France, and Germany. Besides, we have plans to launch operations in Latin America. We are actively moving into the world. Of course, IPChain is already a recognizable brand; we receive offers to participate in a huge number of international forums, exhibitions, and round tables. We are going to Legal Tech event in Amsterdam, and then to Legal Geek in London. The idea of IPChain is that it is not one structure, but a decentralized network, such a “strange” thing that does not belong to anyone. Moreover, as I said earlier, we do not seek to expand from one point everywhere; we wish that there would be many such points. We wish that there would be IPChain Armenia, IPChain Spain, and IPChain China and so on according to the list of countries of the world. IPChain is an ideology, global infrastructure, and concept of how the intellectual property market should work, which cannot be monopolized. Even, perhaps, the word “market” in this case is wrongly used, because such ideas can only be shared, and then there can be various private initiatives and business projects.
Source: https://youtu.be/sMjsR6Q0mqQ
