There have been reports that the Russian government has decided to waive patent rights for patent holders from certain foreign countries. In particular, there are press reports that the Russian government is allowing no compensation to be paid to patent holders from these countries.
Information taken from our local colleagues, the recent legislative changes are the following:
- The waiver of IP rights and related compensation concerns only those areas related to the interests of state defense and security and the protection of the life and health of Russian citizens (Article 1360 of the Civil Code and Decree 299); this provision has already been implemented on two occasions.
- A list of assets that may not be protected is being drawn up.
- The Peggy Pig decision did not condemn the Russian infringer of this cartoon character trademark; a parallel decision by Entertainment One UK Limited sanctioned a Russian infringer and awarded damages.
As we can see, the situation regarding intellectual property is uncertain and we can only warn you about the use of your IP rights in these countries. Of course, we are at your disposal should you encounter any problems of such nature.
