On 26 August 2026, the Ukrinform press centre in Kyiv hosted the roundtable “Protection of Creative Content in the Digital Environment”, organised by the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO) together with its partners.
The event brought together representatives of public authorities, law enforcement agencies, rights holders, the film and publishing industries, legal platforms and digital services. The discussion focused on current challenges in protecting copyright online and practical mechanisms for combating piracy.
Vitaliy Voloshyn, Attorney-at-Law at Smartsolutions, represented the Public Union “Clean Sky Initiative” at the event. He shared the Union’s practical experience and results in countering the distribution of illegal content.
The Clean Sky Initiative works systematically to protect intellectual property rights and develop anti-piracy mechanisms in Ukraine. Its activities include cooperation among rights holders, public authorities and market participants; identification of resources distributing illegal content; measures aimed at restricting their monetisation and access; and the development of legal tools to combat digital piracy.
Among the topics highlighted by Vitaliy Voloshyn were the Clean Sky Initiative’s industry blacklist, the Union’s contribution to the List of Audiovisual Media Services of the Aggressor State, and the results of criminal prosecution of pirates pursued by rights holders that are members of the Initiative.
Particular attention was given to the investigation of criminal proceedings involving intellectual property rights infringements. Vitaliy Voloshyn discussed the practical features of such proceedings and rights holders’ experience in using criminal-law mechanisms to protect content.
Another topic was the further development of WIPO ALERT, an international tool of the World Intellectual Property Organization designed to reduce advertising revenue flowing to websites that infringe intellectual property rights.
Vitaliy Voloshyn also pointed to an issue that requires further work: insufficient blocking by service providers of pirate resources and websites associated with the aggressor state.
Roundtable participants discussed the timing and procedures for blocking illegal content, rights holders’ enforcement requests, inter-agency cooperation, further reform of Ukrainian legislation and its alignment with the EU acquis, as well as opportunities for voluntary cooperation with digital platforms. Representatives of the publishing industry also highlighted the scale of “paper piracy” — counterfeit print runs of books presented as legally imported products.
Smartsolutions has extensive experience in protecting copyright and related rights and combating digital piracy. Our team supports rights holders from identifying infringements and developing an enforcement strategy through to stopping unlawful use of content, resolving disputes and holding infringers accountable. Smartsolutions experts also contribute to industry initiatives and the development of legal anti-piracy mechanisms.
If your content is being distributed or monetised without authorisation, Smartsolutions attorneys can assess the infringement, identify an effective response and provide legal support throughout the enforcement process.
Learn more about the Clean Sky Initiative and its results for the first half of 2026: activity report
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