A modern, innovative economy based on knowledge, using the most advanced technologies and creating a complex eco-system in the area of science, industry and business, constitutes the basis for development of societies using their potential to increase life quality considering values related tightly to intellectual achievements. History research prove that the need for legal protection of intellectual property appeared at the early stages of technological development and it is a crucial element of the civilisation heritage. Also the history of Poland proves that, because traditions of protecting the inventions and technical solutions have been an important part of material culture in our country for ages. The oldest Polish privilege of a patent kind was issued by the king Władysław Jagiełło in the 20s of the 15th century to a constructor of a machine draining mines. It is known that privileges of a similar kind were issued also but other kings, among others, Kazimierz Jagiellończyk, Zymunt Stary, Zygmunt III Waza. Protection of industrial property was a part of the Polish economic life even in hard times of partitions, during which first statutory regulations were introduced, among others, the law on the patent of freedom and granting letters were issued in the Kingdom of Poland in 1817.
The most significant turning point in the history of technical innovation protection in Poland was establishing of the Polish Patent Office in 1918 under the act issued by the Chief of State Józef Piłsudski, as one of the first institutions opened after restoration of independence. In 1919
the Chief of State issued three other acts, which were first modern regulations expressing the needs of the Polish society in terms of industrial property protection necessary for development of the reborn national economy. The same year Poland entered the Paris Convention that was the basic international act regulating the rules of industrial property protection. The present history of inventions shows clearly that one of the fundamental principles of supporting the development of innovations is to guarantee to the creator the right to the created invention and legal protection in turnover.
The technological progress made within the last one hundred years with a contribution of many generations of inventors wouldn’t be possible without a statutory protection of intellectual property, and the current dynamic development of technology and economy on a global scale requires the patent offices around the world vast knowledge and experience as well as wide activity. In this context the year 2017 was to the Polish Patent Office a period of many new initiatives aimed at a wide-scope increase in innovations, which conditions economic development enhancement.
The received results indicate clearly that legal protection of inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks and other subjects of industrial property, constitutes the base for management of advanced knowledge and enhances development of entrepreneurship. The Polish Patent Office has been developing for many years a program of initiatives taken to support the potential of innovative economy growth in Poland, and in particular through a promotion of modern methods of knowledge and technology transfer from the sector of science to industry. A visible result of the undertaken initiatives are mainly the growing awareness of university staff, legal workers and opinion-influencers as well as entrepreneurs and economists on the needs and possibilities in terms of intellectual achievements protection. It should be emphasized that the increase in innovations is one of the government priorities, which is reflected in, among others, numerous programs aiming at creating an advantage of the Polish economy, which can develop in global environment only based on innovative potential. Supporting these processes is one of the most important areas of the Polish Patent Office activity, which is an institution stimulating ,among others, invention and creativity through education. The jubilee in 2018 is also an occasion to present activities undertaken by the Polish Patent Office in the field of legislation. It is worth stressing that the currently binding law on industrial property is harmonised both with international regulations and the European and the Union laws, which ensures a full participation of Poland in the European patent system, and in the union systems of trademarks protection, industrial designs, and also in the system of geographical indications protection.
The institution providing in our country a protection of industrial subjects property to legal entities and physical persons is the Polish Patent Office . Its main task is to issue decisions on applications for exclusive rights for industrial subjects property. Decisions granting those rights are issued by independent experts who in the scope of the issued decisions have to comply solely with statutory regulations. Disputes concerning cancellation or statement on expiry of the rights are solved by the Adjudicating Bodies of the Office. One of the basic tasks is also keeping a public database of the registers containing information about the legal status of industrial subjects protection in Poland.
The Office performs its statutory tasks using a wide spectrum of legal instruments, but its role is not limited only to carrying out formal procedures, conducting research on the protection possibility to grant the rights. The national policy aimed at increasing innovations of the Polish economy assumes a significant growth in the number of innovative solutions by spreading the use industrial property protection and co-creating the culture of innovations and the culture of intellectual property. The Polish Patent Office performs tasks related to that and takes action to simplify procedures in terms of receiving the industrial property protection, improving the legislation and promoting the awareness of entrepreneurs and inventors on advantages of the rights protection over non-material property. The rights protection of industrial property is regulated not only by state law, but also by agreements, treaties and acts concluded between countries.
The execution of these obligations requires the Polish Patent Office to be involved all the time in the activities of international organizations. Therefore, the Office is a chain, which ensures the Polish economy with a full participation in the international systems of protection, which is particularly important in vies of ongoing globalisation. Changes taking place in the European and Global standards concerning the industrial subjects property require also a multi-aspect activity of the Office in terms of initiating the adjusting changes in the Polish legislation related to industrial property and other legal acts that have impact on the execution of statutory tasks.
An extremely important part of the Polish Patent Office activity is also responsibility for an efficient flow of patent communication, which is one of the basic sources enabling a comprehensive orientation in dynamic processes of the scientific-technical progress. This knowledge is necessary not only for patent experts, but also for the Polish scientists and technology specialists, who can get this way access to data on the latest state of technology in all fields subject to patent regulations around the world.
One of the most important roles of the Patent Office is to spread regularly the knowledge about industrial property protection. The social awareness in this respect is a necessary condition for ensuring the legal order. It should be stressed that information about results of breaching the rights or consequences of no protection of industrial property are only a part of the communication programme executed by the Polish Patent Office. At the current stage of economic development it is really important also to promote widely the knowledge about the professional management of the industrial property rights, to educate young people in terms of the basic issues concerning intellectual property, co-operation in terms of innovative academic programs of teaching and intensive communication activities addressed at executives managing companies and many other groups. The Polish Patent Office, by performing the wide range of tasks related to industrial property protection, becomes one of the crucial institutions having impact on creating conditions for development of innovative economy characterised by safety of turnover and a high competitiveness.
The nest stage beginning in the history of the Polish Patent Office, which has been protecting the intellectual heritage for a 100 years, in particular the achievements of technology inventors, will surely be a period of new challenges related to development of innovations, which to a large extent depends on the common awareness in terms of protection and use of intellectual property. Only a society that accepts the meaning of those values can create innovative technological and economic solutions, allowing to meet the demand of the competitive global markets.
Referring in the anniversary year to the historical date of establishing the Polish Patent Office, it should be indicated that the protection of industrial property has a fundamental meaning in strengthening of the intellectual and economical potential of Poland and its sustainable development. Both the history and modern times show that the contribution of Polish inventors in the world technology has brought significant achievements in many fields. A creative use of that heritage will certainly be the factor deciding on the position of Poland among nations building the economy based on advanced knowledge. Execution of undertakings during the special 100th anniversary of the Polish Patent Office is a part of a wide context of promoting the historical knowledge and patriotic values, related to restoration of independence by Poland in 1918.
