WOMO portrait: Olena Orliuk

Olena Orliuk, the Head of the newly created IP Office of Ukraine – about dreams, values, challenges and the future of intellectual property and innovations

Despite the full-scale invasion and missile attacks of the russian federation, Ukraine continues intellectual property reform. In particular, the IP Office started working in autumn 2022. It was headed by Olena Orliuk, a lawyer, professor, academician, and leading Ukrainian specialist in IP. Her task is to build a transparent, technological, professional state body for the regulation of intellectual assets and innovations according to world standards. In an interview with WoMo, Olena told what she expects from her new position, and what Ukraine is ready for in the field of intellectual property.

I am a scientist and a teacher, an expert in intellectual property, and in recent years, in fact, a crisis manager, and memories of childhood dreams make me smile – both joyful and a little skeptical. Because it is something very bright and at the same time very naive: to be happy, to be free, to be creative, to be realized. Everything happened... And it continues to happen, because it is an endless process. These are the values that were nurtured by my family and embedded in my DNA. With them, I walk my life path and through them, I strive for perfection.

In general, I had a very happy childhood – full of love and joy of life. I really wanted people to be proud of me, I wanted to prove that I was worth something. However, for this, it was enough to defend a candidate's degree. Then I advanced for my own sake.

Our family conversations are almost professional round tables. A large circle gathers, and professional discussions are held

I was the first in my family to study law (my parents graduated from National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute,” they are engineers). Later, my sister also followed my path – she is a successful lawyer in international companies. And year after year, our large family grew into lawyers.

Our family conversations are almost professional round tables. A large circle of kindred people gathers, and professional discussions are held. Very interesting! We discuss from all sides the issues that exist in the country, we discuss... However, now we have a younger generation, and our youth are involved not only in law, but also in other fields, so we train ourselves to translate conversations into more social ones, public topics, so that everyone is interested.

(Not) the secrets of history

I have been interested in history for many years, and I even once entered the history faculty. By the way, it was before the collapse of the USSR, and I didn't have enough Komsomol biography – I was the only one in the class who didn't join, even though I had a medal! This was the first serious test that hardened me on my life's path. But when I was preparing for admission, I found very interesting sources – diaspora and foreign publications. Therefore, for me, there have long been no doubts about the richness of the history of our country – even then, I saw that in Soviet textbooks and in life everything happened completely differently.

For example, it is strange why our country's history suddenly begins only at the end of the 800s, as if nothing had happened before that. I have many friends who are historians, and I have traveled a lot in Ukraine: to historical places, excavations. In particular, I got to know the Trypillia culture.

I really want to discover Cherkasy more deeply, because my father is from there, my roots are there. I want to give children and family a lot to see. For obvious reasons, I travel much less now, even on business trips. But I remember well what a joy it is to drive around Ukraine and look around. I am so in love with this country.

Love of books

For me, books are love. I have been reading a lot since childhood – starting with the huge family library and continuing with the city library. I read classic world literature, thousands of works, until I was 17–18 years old.

During my studies, I read mostly professional literature. Then artistic and biographical ones returned to the selection. I tried to get acquainted with the editions of laureates of international literary prizes. And of course, modern Ukrainian authors, who, in my opinion, have every reason to occupy the top places on world literary platforms. Currently, I find free time and read (in addition to daily analytics) something for my own growth. And when I just want to relax, science fiction and fantasy save me. I sometimes feel like I'm trying to read all the books in these genres. I also like books about art and history. In particular, it was interesting to read the latest books by Timothy Snyder, Tony Judt, Niall Ferguson, Serhii Plokhy.

Sometimes I dream of shutting myself away from everyone for several days in a row and reading books. For me, this is the kind of being that reconciles me to the problems of the world and provides emotional support in difficult times.

The first female head of the Faculty of Law since its creation in 1834

Taras Shevchenko University – it seems that it has always been in my life. When i did not enter the Faculty of History, I stayed there to work at the Faculty of Law – and reached the level of the Director of the Institute of Law (into which the Faculty was reorganized in 2020). I became the first woman to head the Faculty of Law since its creation in 1834.

Since 1996, I have been an assistant, then a methodologist, then an associate professor. I tried to become a lawyer, but I realized that it was not for me. I defended my candidate's degree, taught financial and banking law, acted as an expert in projects. And at the same time, quietly, calmly, at night, I wrote my doctoral dissertation. But I defended it not calmly at all, through battles – however, it was a very good experience. Thanks to it, the field of IP entered my life. And in 2013, I founded the Department of Intellectual Property at Alma Mater.

My history with IP began in 2004 at the Scientific Research Institute of Intellectual Property of the National Academy of Law Sciences of Ukraine. At that time, it was like this: problems with goals, with personnel, with the fulfillment of assigned tasks. To begin with, I was given 3 months to put things in order – otherwise there could be a question of closing altogether.

I started as a Deputy for Scientific Work (in a year I became the Director), and I remember my first visit very well: I arrived in in the morning – and in one of the offices there were bottles, bottles, bottles on all the tables... Alcohol! I thought: "God, where have I gotten?" It turned out to be just a forensic examination of trademarks (labels were compared).

In fact, I believe that it was a gift of fate, because it always brings me together with very interesting, intellectual people. And we took this institute out little by little, and not just took it out – we formed a professional team and made it actually the top expert in the IP field. For me, this is a huge case. It gave rise to new ideas about the development of IP in Ukraine.

I traveled a lot in Ukraine, supported, in particular, the opening of master's programs and departments in intellectual property at universities. Because the depth of IP problems was obvious – starting with the level of education and culture. At one time, intellectual property was a compulsory course in universities, but today it is not. I considered and still consider it a huge mistake. Just IP is an integral part of education, and not only in universities, but also from a very young age! Because the modern world works on this, it is the future of the country. And this is one of the key points – education and enlightenment, which I will continue to work on within the framework of the IP Office.

The IP Office should become a quality service

We live in the information age, but still, one of the main tasks of intellectual property regulators is to explain what IP is. And not only to the public, but also to business. This is not the case only in Ukraine – let's say, it is not much better in the USA. IP (from Intellectual Property) is a system for supporting the country's intellectual assets. From stimulating education, invention and technologies to protecting patents and ensuring the ideological competitiveness of our manufacturers on the world market. It's even simpler: new ideas are very cool, but you need to be able to implement and protect them as well. Because this is how the modern world works – technologies that are not legally secured are instantly copied, and you can already be a pirate, not the owner.

At one time, I was on a business trip to South Korea – our team was looking at the direction of invention, innovation and IP. I just muttered to myself: "I wish we had such a policy from the state!" Attention, support, cooperation with business – how much more results could we show, given the creativity of our nation... Well, now my team and I are doing it.

Firstly, the IP Office should become a quality service; we constantly model how we can help – businesses, industries, inventors, authors. We will create convenient digital tools. Accumulate intellectual potential (we have it powerful, we just need to help). And, it is very important to raise the culture of IP education! Because in Ukraine, this is one of the biggest problems of the sphere – its roots. And IP is about our national code.

Our plans are big team plans. And now I'm a little scared, in a good way, about how much needs to be done. Starting with the renewal of our own technological base, on which our experts work, and the implementation of an active position in the development of an innovative ecosystem.

In general, I look at the development of the IP Office through 3 keywords: transparent, technological, professional. And the last point is people, a team, experts, and that's the most important thing. It really hurts me that we lost whole generations of experts, specialists, scientists, teachers, many of whom went abroad. But little by little we will restore and level it. All the same, this desire to move, go and create something here – you are born with it, it comes from the earth itself. In this sense, Ukraine's opportunities are unique to me.

We are more than worthy of revealing the talents that Ukraine is so rich in. I talked a lot with Europeans: they have everything beautifully painted, very correct... But when our people arrive, you immediately see the difference: Ukrainians' eyes light up.

Ukraine in 5 years

Young, very active and innovative. We have every chance to become a "European tiger." Although at first we will have to rebuild and rebuild. But I firmly believe that we will persevere and accomplish this task. And we will shine as a bright star for the whole world – and we will shine for a long time, because our roots are deep, and there is so much unrealized potential in them from past ages…

And then: a transparent judicial system, professional services, quality education. Businesses and investors will see the rules of the game transparently. For me, Ukraine will not just be a model for the world, that it has won its right to exist, but a country of great opportunities. That's how I perceive it.

I do not paint the future in rosy colors, and I understand that at each stage there are obstacles. A person does not change quickly, and even more so a country with a thousand-year history, entire layers of which (starting with the name) were stolen. But I look at the younger generation – and I see that they are different, their hearts are full of thirst and their eyes are bright. They will build a new, real and independent Ukraine, and we will help.