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Russian Federation

Important developments in three-dimensional trademarks protection in Russia

In this guest analysis piece, Eugene Arievich examines two recent pieces of case law that resulted in 3D marks being accepted onto the register.

8 Apr 2020

Online education spikes in the midst of covid-19, adding fuel to an already high-growth market

Remote learning is one of the few industries being boosted by the ongoing crisis, and it could be a make or break moment for brands in this sector.

30 Jan 2020

Domain name disputes in Russia: how to get the most compensation in court

In this exclusive guest post, Denis Dorotenko, senior legal counsel at Yandex, analyses recent Russian court practice on domain name disputes and identifies factors to ensure that brand owners get the maximum compensation.

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9 Jul 2020

Is a foreign company obliged to pay taxes on damages issued for illegal trademark use?

The Department of Tax and Customs has issued a letter clarifying that when recovering damages in favour of a foreign company for the illegal use of a trademark in Russia, these are taxed according to Russian law. However, if a treaty on avoiding double taxation has been concluded between Russia and the country in which the foreign company is permanently located, its norms have priority. Read more

2 Jul 2020

Draft bill looks set to introduce geographical indications to Russia

A draft bill propose introducing the concept of geographical indications into Russian law - this would be particularly helpful for protecting folk crafts, as well as for supporting local manufacturers. Read more

26 Jun 2020

Impact of covid-19 pandemic on IP practice in Russia

The restrictions imposed by the Russian government in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic had some positive effects on IP practice, as Rospatent was encouraged to speed up the introduction of new online platforms encompassing all its services. Read more

25 Jun 2020

The pros and cons of filing industrial design applications online in Russia

There are positives and negatives to filing online – applicants need to weight these carefully when applying for industrial designs. Read more

Anti-Counterfeiting

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28 Feb 2020

New amendments affecting the pharmaceutical market – key points highlighted

Russia’s Law on the Circulation of Medicines is probably one of the country’s most debated laws. However, new amendments introduced in December have been largely welcomed by the local pharmaceutical community. Read more

16 Jan 2020

How to increase efficiency of online brand protection efforts in Russia

According to the available statistics, counterfeit products account for more than 46% of the global market, significantly more than sales of heroin (7%), cocaine (8%), gambling games (14%), prostitution (18%) and other illegal businesses. Read more

5 Dec 2019

Five counterfeit hotspots in Russia that brand owners must be aware of

In the latest edition of our series on markets around the world that are reportedly notorious for the sale of counterfeit goods, we head to Russia. Read more

28 Nov 2019

Product ID labelling becomes mandatory in Russia

Russia’s product labelling system, which was first launched in 2016 as a pilot project to cover fur and pharmaceutical products, has been expanded to cover the tobacco, footwear and pharmaceutical industries. The system should help to reduce the volume of counterfeit goods in the country. Read more

Brand management

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6 Apr 2020

Brand creation and protection: out with the old

Trademark experts from across the globe offer critical insight into brand creation best practice and guidance on pitfalls to avoid. Read more

3 Apr 2020

Securing well-known status: if at first you don’t succeed, conduct market research

With few marks recognised as well known in Russia, evidence of use in the country, consistent branding and market research can be key to gaining such status, but it often requires perseverance. Read more

24 Dec 2019

Clearing the market of FMCG counterfeits

Russia’s fast-moving consumer goods market is growing thanks to increasing consumption and accelerated competition between manufacturers and retailers. Players in the market should consider IP protection, advertising and unfair competition when building an effective enforcement strategy. Read more

29 Oct 2019

Russia's Constitutional Court gives a boost to well-known trademarks

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation has confirmed that the laws recognising well-known status are constitutional and valid. Read more

Enforcement and Litigation

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17 Jun 2020

Russia introduces mandatory drug labelling

Starting 1 from July 2020, all pharmaceutical products for medical use in Russia will have to be labelled in accordance with the federal information system for monitoring the circulation of pharmaceutical products. Read more

11 Mar 2020

Allianz retains ROSNO mark following dispute with competitor

In the dispute between insurance companies Allianz and RESO-Chance, the Russian IP Court has ordered the partial termination of one of Allianz’s ROSNO marks for certain services, but found that the other marks had been put to genuine use during the relevant period. Read more

20 Jan 2020

BBC recovers its TOP GEAR trademark after two-year battle

The Russian Intellectual Property Court has overturned its earlier decision in a case involving the invalidation of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s TOP GEAR trademark. Read more

9 Dec 2019

Litigation procedures and strategies: Russia

Government/Policy

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26 May 2020

Ministry of Communications supports bid to liberalise advertising law in wake of covid-19 pandemic

As the advertising market has been significantly affected by the covid-19 pandemic and its financial fallout, the Russian Ministry of Communications is considering the possibility of liberalising the Law on Advertising to allow for the advertisement of prescription medicines, sport poker and alcohol. Read more

30 Jul 2019

Geographical indications on the horizon in Russia

The Duma has passed a bill with provisions clarifying the requirements for geographical indications on its final reading, a new and long-awaited IP development in Russia. Read more

29 Jul 2019

Road to Russia: why Rospatent is positive about the future

Over the past couple of years rapid improvements have been made at the Russian IP office. In an exclusive feature, the head of the registry looks at its current operations and speaks candidly about plans for the future. Read more

29 Jul 2019

The future is bright for Rospatent

Over the past couple of years rapid improvements have been made at the Russian IP office. In an exclusive column, head of the registry Grigory Ivliev looks at its current operations and speaks about future plans. Read more

Law Firms

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1 Aug 2019

Best practice in litigation strategies: global perspectives

Trademark experts from around the world offer practical guidance on how to maximise the chances of litigation success in their jurisdiction. Read more

23 Nov 2018

IPOPHL celebrates record haul, Rospatent promotes benefits of GIs, and emoji-tions run high in China: news round-up

In our latest round-up, we look at $7 million worth of counterfeit condoms being seized in China, Canada Goose opening an additional office in Beijing, and much more. Read more

20 Apr 2018

Kit Kat blow, Comey trademark abandoned, and Russian IP office pledges blockchain support: news round-up

In our latest round-up, we look at the Advocate General’s latest Kit Kat decision, Liverpool FC embroiled in a dispute, a strong start for the ‘.app’ new gTLD, advice on building a fashion retail brand in 2018, and much more. Read more

IP Offices

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17 Jul 2019

Naming, registering and advertising pharmaceutical trademarks in Russia

The pharmaceutical industry is a high-tech development priority and pharmaceutical production must happen alongside the development of an appropriate IP protection strategy. Pharmaceutical trademarks owners would be well advised to consider any issues in the context of the Russian market. Read more

24 Dec 2018

New court decisions provide fresh wisdom on trademarks in Russia

Three recent cases look set to shake up trademark practice in Russia and could well have an impact for years to come – especially when it comes to parallel imports and the territorial principles of trademark protection. Read more

11 Sep 2018

More #MeToo trademark applications, USPTO scandalous marks fight, and FIFA thanks Rospatent for World Cup help: news round-up

In our latest round-up, we look at more trademark applications related to the #MeToo movement, the Swedish IP Office warning against fake election posters, a US court having its say on trademark bullying, and much more. Read more

6 Apr 2018

Trademark offices prepare for the future as users give poor performance grades

The performance levels of the Chinese, Brazilian and Indian trademark offices have clear room for improvement but change could be afoot. Read more

Online

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21 Aug 2019

From Jumia to Ozon: the regional e-commerce sites that rights holders need to be policing

Outside of North America and China, new ecommerce marketplaces are springing up at an increasing rate. As these regional platforms grow, infringers have swarmed to them in response to the global platforms’ growing anti-counterfeiting efforts. Read more

1 Aug 2019

How FaceApp’s terms of use could open risk of infringement that you can’t fight

A media storm has circled around Russian-owned FaceApp over fears that personal data is being sold for potentially nefarious purposes. We speak with an expert about the legal issues that rights holders should be aware of. Read more

14 Mar 2019

Online brand protection strategies for the Russian market

New challenges in a digital world dictate the necessity of adapting brand protection strategies. In the past, it was enough to deal with infringements on a case-by-case basis. However, today it is impossible to handle thousands of online infringements manually and more efficient tools (online brand protection solutions) are required. Read more

4 Jun 2018

Can BLACK FRIDAY owner prevent use of 'Real Black Friday'?

The cassation court in Russia has confirmed that the owner of BLACK FRIDAY for services in Class 35 had abused its rights by suing an association of online shops for using the words 'Real Black Friday'.

Portfolio Management

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14 Nov 2019

Protecting and enforcing design rights: Russia

1 Oct 2019

Procedures and strategies for pharmaceutical brands: Russia

In 2018 the top development strategy of companies involved in the Russian pharmaceutical market was ‘aggressive marketing’. In such circumstances, trademark registration takes on considerable importance as it provides an effective measure to secure exclusive rights over a product’s unique identity. Read more

30 Sep 2019

Building an effective enforcement strategy to fight unfair competition in advertising

In the fight against unfair marketing practices, businesses operating in Russia would be well advised to understand the correlation between unfair advertising and unfair competition and to take account of the relevant legal provisions so as to build up an effective enforcement strategy. Read more

24 Sep 2019

IP Court seeks clarification from Constitutional Court as to whether mark can be recognised as well known retroactively

In a dispute between two Russian cosmetics manufacturers, the IP Court has suspended the proceedings and sent a request for clarification to the Constitutional Court concerning Article 1483 of the Civil Code. Read more

Trademark law

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26 Jun 2019

FIFA reflects on scoring an IP enforcement win at the 2018 World Cup in Russia

Daniel Zohny, IP head at FIFA, looks back at the intense workload taken on by his team during the 2018 World Cup and looks forward to the next tournament as the worthy winner of WTR’s Sports, Entertainment and Media Team of the Year. Read more

1 May 2019

Colour marks gain popularity in Russia

Colour trademarks are growing in popularity in Russia. However, to ensure their registration, the colour in question must be capable of sufficiently distinguishing the product or service and its origin. Read more

28 Jan 2019

Litigation procedures and strategies: Russia

The Russian court system comprises federal courts and regional courts (ie, regional constitutional courts and magistrates). IP matters are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts. Read more

8 Jan 2019

Protecting and enforcing design rights: Russia

Russian design law is incorporated into Part IV of the Civil Code. Additional provisions regarding application proceedings are set out in the Rules on Design Patent Application Proceedings and the Instructions for Design Patent Application Documents. Read more

Twitter

09 Jul 2020

@WTRmagazine RT @WebTMS: Do you have a couple of minutes to help @WTRMagazine assess the non-legal trademark services supplier market? Take the quick su… Read more

09 Jul 2020

@WTRmagazine RT @MarksmenTweets: “Encouraging message to #brandowners” – why Under Armour’s victory in China is bad news for #counterfeiters https://t.… Read more

09 Jul 2020

@WTRmagazine Counterfeit hotspots in Madagascar that brand owners must be aware of. https://t.co/ZG6AujqR0h https://t.co/eTqT2zgGN6 Read more

09 Jul 2020

@WTRmagazine New specialised IP courts in Poland should make EU and domestic case law consistent. https://t.co/3LlvBtF8PU https://t.co/W6YEj2CEpy Read more