As the conflict rages in Ukraine, WIPR was joined from Kyiv by Julia Semeniy, partner at Asters Law, and Yuliya Prokhoda CEO, patent and trademark attorney, at Intels IP.
Both are board members of the National Association of Patent Attorneys (NAPA) in Ukraine, which has been rallying international support against the Russian invasion.
Speaking to senior editor Muireann Bolger, they shared what daily life is like in the capital city of a country at war and sent a message to the international IP community.
Prokhoda told WIPR: “I had planned February 24 as an ordinary working day, with court hearings and other regular duties in my native city of Kyiv, Ukraine. But Russia changed my plans dramatically with its onslaught of massive shellings, missiles and bombs throughout all of Ukraine.”
This act of internationally condemned aggression means that she has been separated from her family for the foreseeable future.
”I will stay in Kyiv, my birthplace, despite the fact that Russian invaders try to assault us with missiles.”
Yuliya Prokhoda, Intels IP
“My husband was on a business trip in Eastern Ukraine, and I understood that from there he has joined the Ukrainian army to defend our country. My daughter was on vacation in central Ukraine and she will now be unable to return home.”
But despite all her adversity, Prokhoda struck a wry and defiant note: “More than 25 years in IP has made me well-organised and capable to work under pressure and with tough deadlines, so I am resilient.”
She vowed: “I will stay in Kyiv, my birthplace, despite the fact that Russian invaders try to assault us with missiles in their bid to occupy the heart of Ukraine.
“Today our nation is united as never before, even if some of us now live in subways for safety reasons, and have lost our home to bombs.
“We will do whatever is possible for our defence. And we are proud that our IP community, NAPA, has become an important part of this work.”
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Images, from top: Shutterstock.com / Drop of Light
