The intellectual property law moot court competition, featuring written and oral stages, was organized by the Association of Intellectual Property Lawyers of Armenia (AIPR) with the support of the Arbitration and Mediation Center of Armenia (AMCA).
The moot court competition aimed to deepen the knowledge of intellectual property law and commercial arbitration among students from law faculties at Armenian universities.
The competition discussed the most current issues in the field: the interaction of artificial intelligence and copyright. Given the lack of comprehensive legal regulations in domestic law regarding the issue, the teams' success hinged on presenting plausible arguments and analyses, drawing on both international experience and judicial practice, as well as existing doctrinal interpretations on the subject. The moot court was implemented under AMCA arbitration rules, which made the competition even more interesting.
More than 30 students from 7 universities in Armenia participated in the oral stage of the moot court competition held on April 13-14. The YSU team secured the highest points across all rounds of the oral stage. Ultimately, the teams of YSU and the French University of Armenia took the 1st position in the moot court competition.
The members of the YSU winning team were 4th-year students Astghik Babayan, Ara Sargsyan and Olga Gasparyan, the coach of the team was Narine Avagyan, lecturer at the Civil Law Chair of the Faculty of Law, Yerevan State University.
Speaking about the victory and the impressions they got from the game, the team members stated that it was really a great opportunity and a valuable experience.
"The moot court experience is one of the best ways to gain a deeper understanding of the legal field. What we read in the law or even in the analysis of experts can often seem very clear, but in the practical task of moot court, when the question comes to the interpretation and application of the norm, everything is different. the intellectual property law moot court competition gave me the opportunity to find new interests and at the same time make sure that I have chosen the right professional path," said team captain Astghik Babayan.
"This was my first experience in moot courts, which I can consider successful. Right from the start, I participated in the moot court with great enthusiasm and I confidently say that it replenished me with a wealth of positive energy that I believe will sustain me for a long time. Of course, this was a good opportunity to gain a clear understanding of the specialized domain, as well as to acquire skills in properly presenting the acquired knowledge. I can state that the key to our victory was also teamwork, mutual responsibility and respect for each other's work," pointed out team member Olga Gasparyan.
"The court game was a good opportunity to use our knowledge and skills and put them into practice. In addition, we had the opportunity to communicate with students from other Armenian universities and exchange experiences. Undoubtedly, the topic of the moot court was very relevant, as it related to the interaction of artificial intelligence and intellectual property institutions. It was especially relevant as in the 21st century, in the conditions of developing technologies and their application, many legal problems arise, and to find ways to solve them, it is necessary to conduct comprehensive studies," said another member of the team, Ara Sargsyan.
Harutyun Khachikyan, Dean of the YSU Faculty of Law, and Armen Haykyants, Head of the Chair of Civil Law, congratulated the team on their victory. The dean of the faculty highlighted the importance of students' participation in such competitions and wished the team new and knowledge-building victories. Armen Haykyants, Head of the Chair of Civil Law, also expressed his willingness to support such initiatives.