On August 9-10, CLDP, at the behest of the US General Consulate in Jerusalem, and in cooperation with the Higher Judicial Council and the Attorney General’s Office, kick started its IP training program for Palestinian judges and prosecutors from the West Bank. CLDP was joined by two U.S. Patent and Trademark Office trademark attorneys, alongside Judge Denise Cote of the U.S. Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York. 10 judges and 13 prosecutors participated in the program, representing 10 West Bank governorates, and partook in a series of interactive cases reflecting practical legal issues. The program provided a rare opportunity to gain an understanding of the legal gaps that the current IP law fails to fill, as well as a heightened level of appreciation of how trademark enforcement impacts economic development. The participants were grateful for the unique opportunity of sharing judicial experience with Judge Cote, who provided key judicial insight on how to oversee complicated commercial trademark cases, specifically in the area of designating civil remedies and damages.

On the margins of the workshop, CLDP met with the President of the Higher Judicial Council for the Palestinian Authority to discuss how CLDP can support judicial and prosecutorial legal capacity in the area of IP. The President requested that, as part of its IP work in the West Bank, CLDP propose and implement a yearlong technical assistance plan coordinated with the council. IP enforcement will be key in sustaining foreign investment in franchises, service companies, and new technologies in the West Bank.