Region: Russian Federation

Colour plays a significant role in strengthening brand awareness and distinguishing products and services from those of their competitors. Unfortunately, this has motivated some companies to unfairly capitalise on the reputation of well-known brands by using similar colour schemes, which creates confusion in the marketplace. Registering colour as the distinctive feature or as one of the distinctive features of a trademark can help to prevent such situations.

04 September 2019

Patent prosecution remains a key part of IP practices at law firms all over the globe but as rights holders place more emphasis on the quality of their grants, specialists need to ensure that they stay up to date with the latest developments. In a co-published editorial, IAM brings together experts from top firms around the world to offer invaluable insight into how prosecution is changing.

30 August 2019

There may be several scenarios in which a company needs to buy a Russian-registered trademark owned by a third party – either to save time and money or to remove obstacles to registering another mark. This article highlights what interested parties should be aware of during transactions.

28 August 2019

Since 2003 it has been possible to extend the duration or term of a Russian patent for a drug, pesticide or agricultural chemical by up to five years. It used to be possible to extend patent claims related to a substance, antibody or pharmaceutical formulation. However, in 2015 the regulations were tightened. Knowing how to achieve the maximum scope of protection provided by an additional patent is key.

06 August 2019

According to a recent report, almost half of all Russian millennials use blogs and social media to learn about luxury brands. However, influencer marketing has raised many questions among brand owners, as well as legal concerns, since Russian laws support a broad interpretation of advertising and discourage indirect advertisements.

10 July 2019

A specialised customs division created to detect and destroy sanctioned foodstuffs following President Vladimir Putin’s prohibition on the import of certain products is now being used to detect other illegal products, such as counterfeit goods and drugs.

03 July 2019

Disputes over domain names owned by non-Russians have long posed a legal and financial challenge for rights holders in Russia. However, a 2018 IP Court ruling transformed the legal landscape when it ordered a domain registrar to terminate an infringing domain name. Further, the Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal has set an interesting precedent by holding a registrar liable as an information intermediary.

15 May 2019

Featured in IAM Life Sciences: Key issues for senior life sciences executives 2019

Once the Patent Law entered into effect in 1991, it became possible in Russia to get a national patent directed at pharmaceutical inventions. When the Eurasian Patent Convention entered into effect in 1995, it became possible to get a Eurasian patent on the same pharmaceutical inventions.

15 May 2019

The Russian Ministry of Health has introduced a draft bill that clarifies the application process for marketing authorisations for a drug. There is concern that the new accessibility could lead to infringement when authorisation is sought for generic drugs. However, a proposed unified registry could prevent this.

03 April 2019

While many other countries do not have sufficient protection for utility model patents, Russia has a set of laws that provides comprehensive cover. While this may make the Russian system seem appealing, it is important to look at the pros and cons of invention versus utility model patents.

06 March 2019