2016-04-25
The Head of the House of Romanoff sends greetings to the Ninth International Forum “Intellectual Property in the 21st Century”

GREETINGS
From the Head of the Russian Imperial House
H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia
To the Organizers and Participants
In the Ninth International Forum
“Intellectual Property in the 21st Century”

I send my heartfelt greetings to the organizers and participants of the Ninth International Forum “Intellectual Property in the 21st Century.”

This year, World Intellectual Property Day is dedicated to the question of culture in the digital age.

Scientific discoveries and stunning technological advances in the digital realm are the results of intellectual activity and cultural development and, as a result, exert enormous influence on the way we think and live today.

Digital technology opens wider and wider the many opportunities for the distribution of the achievements of human creativity. But without a spiritual and moral compass, these impressive advances could become instruments of death, destruction, and the degradation of the individual.

As we continually reexamine our culture, which we must do as times change, we must never separate ourselves from, or lose sight of, Tradition.

While admiring the achievements of human reason and welcoming new forms of art and expression, we must also cherish the legacy of our ancestors, which feeds the branches of our Civilization the way that nutrients are drawn up from roots to feed the branches of living trees.

Our common task must be to guarantee equally both the freedom to search for new paths for the evolution of culture, and the right to exercise and explore the more traditional modes of expression.

It is vital that we defend intellectual property so that we may create the necessary conditions for the full exercise of human creativity. Your Forum makes a vital contribution to the effort to assure a rational and just balance between respect for the interests of authors and access to the fruits of their talent and labor for all people.

I wish you all every success and God’s help in your vitally important work.

H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia

Madrid, April 12/25, 2016