World Intellectual Property Day solemnly celebrated at the Sarajevo City Hall
World Intellectual Property Day, this year dedicated to music, was solemnly celebrated at the Sarajevo City Hall on Friday, April 25, organized by the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Association of Composers – Music Makers (AMUS).
World Intellectual Property Day - April 26, established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is celebrated this year under the slogan "Intellectual Property and Music: Feel the Rhythm of Intellectual Property".
In her welcome speech, the director of AMUS, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lejla Trnčić, pointed out the indispensable role of music in everyday life and its capacity to transcend borders. She also called for this event to be an example of how joint work and knowledge create a society for the benefit of all. "Let the works become the universal language of the idea and spirit of humanity," said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lejla Trnčić.
A special emphasis of the celebration program at the Sarajevo City Hall was the panel discussion "Music as a Universal Language", with the participation of Josip Merdžo, Director of the Institute for Intellectual Property of BiH, Elvir Švrakić, Chairman of the Steering committee of AMUS, Prof. Emir Mejremić, Prof. Emanuel Josić, author Mirko Šenkovski Geronimo and Mirza Hajrić, as moderator.
Director of the Institute for Intellectual Property of BiH, Josip Merdžo, emphasized on that occasion that intellectual property covers a wide aspect of human creativity and is divided into two groups, industrial property and copyright. "The Institute protects the rights of individuals who contribute their creativity to the film, production, music industry and all those others who contribute to something that can be protected," said Director Merdžo.
The reflections of the panel discussion participants were directed towards the affirmation of a society which understands that ideas are not born in a void, but from the need to express, transform and connect the world.
"The world we live in is shaped by ideas, and regardless of epochs and technological advances, the mind remains the irreplaceable majesty of man, an inexhaustible source of creative quests, where intellectual property is not only a legal framework, but a space for the preservation of the human spirit, creativity and progress," it was concluded at the panel, congratulating all those who contribute to the creation and preservation of intellectual property values through their work.
In the eventful musical part of the program, under the conductor's baton of Emir Mejremić, the orchestra and choir of the Academy of Music of the University of Sarajevo took the audience on a journey through soundscapes, where the ideals of classical achievements meet the authentic expression of folk artifacts that speaks through sevdalinka. In addition to sevdalinka, the performances of compositions by C. W. Gluck, Vlado Milošević, Emir Mejremić, with the power of their performance in the contemporary moment, reminded of the authors' timeless contribution to the world cultural heritage, of the imprint of the creator spirit in the universal heritage of humanity.
In City Hall of Sarajevo, more than a hundred guests from various creative and scientific spheres gathered as a confirmation that intellectual property is not a privilege of a few, but a collective responsibility, a topic that should not be reductionist because it concerns everyone. This date is not only symbolic. Events like this invite us to pause and recognize that the value of intellectual property is not measured only in patents, copyrights or trademarks, but in the ability to recognize and preserve what is noblest in man – ideas.
