General Information | Patents of Invention
Trade & Service Marks | Industrial Designs | Domain Names
More

General Information

Area: 29 800 sq. km.
Population: 3,600,000 inhabitants (estimated 1998).
Capital: Yerevan, with about 1,300,000 inhabitants.
Language: Armenian.
Currency: Dram.

GENERAL REMARKS

Armenia used to be part of the former Soviet Union. The republic declared its independence on August 23, 1990. Former Soviet Union industrial property rights granted prior to December 24, 1991, could be re-registered at the Patent Office of the Republic of Armenia until June 30, 1995. First national intellectual property laws, the Law "on Patents", concerning legal protection of inventions, utility models and industrial designs, in force since August 25, 1993, and The Temporary Regulations of "Trade Marks and Services Marks", in force since November 19, 1995, were replaced by new laws: Patent Law effective as of December 16, 1999, last amendments with the effect as of January 8, 2005, and Law on Trade and Service Marks and Appellation of Origin, effective as of April 15, 2000, with the last amendments effective as of April 27, 2007.

TOP OF PAGE

Patents of Invention

LEGAL BASIS

• Patent Law, effective as of January 8, 2005.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention, since May 17, 1994.
• Patent Cooperation Treaty, since May 17, 1994.
• Eurasian Patent Convention, since February 27, 1996.

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney (sealed by the applicant or notarized);
• Specification, claims and abstract (to be translated into Armenian);
• Drawings if any;
• Priority Document, if priority is claimed, to be filed within three months from the filing date.

REMARKS

National Phase of PCT: under Chapter I: 31 months; under Chapter II: 31 months.
Validity: patent issued after full examination - valid for 20 years.
Annuities: are due each year after grant.
Opposition: regulated.

TOP OF PAGE

Trade and Service Marks

LEGAL BASIS

• Trademark Law of April 15, 2000; last amendments effective as of April 27, 2007.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention, since May 17, 1994.
• Madrid Agreement, since May 17, 1994.
• Madrid Protocol, since December 19, 1999.

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney (sealed by the applicant or notarized);
• Prints of the sign to be protected (10 prints; 5x5 or 5x10 cm);
• List of goods and services, according to the International Classification;
• Priority documents, if any (to be filed within three months from the filing date).

REMARKS

Kinds of protection: wordmarks, device marks and other distinctive combinations thereof, in color or color combinations. Service marks are registrable. Besides the original version, filing of wordmark applications in the Armenian script is highly recommended.
Classification: International.
Obligation to use the registered mark: compulsory. If not used within any five-year period after the registration (or last use) date, the mark can be cancelled upon request of an interested party; nominal use (advertising, publications) is accepted in absence of actual use.
Duration - renewals: 10-year period after the filing date. Renewable for further 10-year periods.
Opposition: possible during the entire period of validity, or in some cases, within a period of five years after publication (if a prior registration exists).

TOP OF PAGE

Industrial Designs

LEGAL BASIS

• Patent Law effective as of January 8, 2005.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention, since May 17, 1994.

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney (sealed by the applicant or notarized);
• Photographs and drawings;
• Specification of the design;
• Priority document (if any).

REMARKS

Duration – renewals: fifteen years from the filing date.
Opposition: as for patents.

TOP OF PAGE

Domain Names

LEGAL BASIS

• There is no specific legislation although some regulations on the organization and management of country code top-level domain names do exist.

FILING

• ccTLD: .am
• Applicant: individuals and legal entities.
• Local Presence: not required.

REMARKS

Duration – renewals: first period of one year, renewable yearly.
Uniform dispute resolution procedure: none.

TOP OF PAGE

More

If you wish more detailed information concerning intellectual property protection in this territory please contact us or order Katzarov’s Manual on Industrial Property®.

TOP OF PAGE