The opening ceremony for the 2014-2015 academic year of the CEIPI double degree programme on IP Law offered in cooperation with Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (Macedonia), and in partnership with the EIPIN members, took place on 4th November 2014, in the premises of the Faculty of Law “Iustinianus Primus” of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
Mr. Xavier Vermandele, Senior Legal Counsellor in the Building Respect for IP Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), gave an opening lecture on the topic “IP Enforcement and Building Respect for IP at the international level”.
This innovative initiative offers a programme in Skopje which focuses mainly on international and European perspectives of IP Law (intellectual property, copyright, neighboring rights and other related disciplines). Classes are taught by teachers from CEIPI and its partners from EIPIN network, Law Faculty of Skopje and neighboring countries (Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia).
Mr. Xavier Vermandele is Senior Legal Counsellor in the Building Respect for IP Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), where he is mainly in charge of capacity-building and legislative assistance activities in relation to the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Prior to joining WIPO in 2009, he has been active as attorney-at-Law at the Brussels Bar (Belgium) from 1995 to 2008, working for business law firms where he specialized in intellectual property, trade practices , food law and commercial law (counseling and litigation). He represented clients before Belgian, Benelux and European Union administrative authorities, as well as before Belgian and French Courts. He also published articles in the aforementioned areas. He then worked as Legal Officer in the “Financial and Contractual Matters, and Legal Affairs” unit of the EuropeAid Co-operation Office (European Commission) for more than one year, before joining WIPO.
