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

Area: 17,075,000 sq. km.
Population: 145,000,000 inhabitants (estimated 2001).
Capital: Moscow, over 9,000,000 inhabitants.
Language: Russian.
Currency: Rouble.

GENERAL REMARKS

Until the end of 1991 the Russian Federation was part of the USSR, a country with a planned economy based on a socialist (Marxist-Leninist) organization. The Russian Federation is in the process of continuous radical economic reforms. The industrial property rights obtained in the former USSR are recognized in the territory of the Russian Federation. On February 1, 1992, the Patent Office of the former USSR became the Patent Office of the Russian Federation.

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Patents of Invention

LEGAL BASIS

• Patent Law of the Russian Federation, in force since October 14, 1992, amended on February 7, 2003, in force as of March 11, 2003.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883), Stockholm Act (1967).
• Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), since June 19, 1970.
• Strasbourg Agreement concerning International Patent Classification, since March 24, 1971.
• Budapest Treaty on the Acknowledgment of Filing Microorganisms for Patent Procedures, since April 28, 1977.
• Eurasian Patent Convention, since September 9, 1994.

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney (no notarization for almost all European countries, Canada, Japan, and USA; notarization or legalization is required from countries which require such a legalization under their national law);
• 3 copies of the specifications with claims;
• 3 copies of the drawings, size 29.7 x 21 cm;
• Priority document, if necessary with a certified translation in English, French, German or Russian.

REMARKS

National Phase of PCT: both under Chapter I and under Chapter II: 31 months.
Validity: issued after a formal and full examination - valid for 20 years.
Annuities: accumulated and due after the grant of the patent; subsequent annuities are payable after the anniversary of the filing date.
Opposition: any natural person or legal entity may, during the entire term of its effect, file an opposition against the grant of the patent with the Patent Dispute Chamber.

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Trade and Service Marks

LEGAL BASIS

• Law on Trade and Service Marks and Appellations of Origin, in force since October 17, 1992, as amended on December 11, 2002.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, Stockholm Act.
• Madrid Agreement and Protocol for the International Registration of Trade Marks.
• Agreement concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the purpose of the Registration of Marks (Nice 1957).

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney;
• 5 prints of 8 x 8 cm, for black and white trademarks; 5 color prints of 8 x 8 cm and 5 black and white prints of 8 x 8 cm, for color trademarks (even for word marks); the label specimen can be presented in life-size;
• List of goods to be protected; grouped according to the international classification of products and services;
• Priority document (if priority is claimed).

REMARKS

Kinds of protection: verbal, pictorial, three-dimensional and other designations or their combination. Service marks are registrable. Besides the original version, filing of wordmark applications in the Cyrillic alphabet is highly recommended.
Classification: International.
Obligation to use the registered mark: compulsory. Non-use during any three-year period after the registration date may lead to cancellation; nominal use (advertising, publications) is accepted in absence of actual use.
Duration - renewals: 10-year period after the filing date or last renewal date.
Opposition: possible during the whole lifetime on absolute grounds, and within a period of five years from the date of publication for other grounds.

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Industrial Designs

LEGAL BASIS

• Patent Law of the Russian Federation, in force since October 14, 1992, amended on February 7, 2003, in force since March 11, 2003.

MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883), Stockholm Act.
• Locarno Agreement establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs, of October 1968, Stockholm Act 1971.

FILING REQUIREMENTS

• Power of Attorney, no legalization;
• Assignment deed, if any;
• 2 descriptions; the description of an industrial design shall disclose the essence of the claimed artistic and design solution and its distinctive features; it shall substantiate how that solution complies with the requirements of technological aesthetics and its capability of realization in an industrial manner;
• A set of photographs (size: min. 9 x 12 cm, max. 18 x 24 cm); one from 1/4 of the front (4 copies), one from the left, one from the right and one from the reverse side (2 copies);
• A general view, drawing or a schematic layout diagram defining the exterior and dimensions of the article (2 copies);
• Priority document, if any.

REMARKS

Duration - renewals: after formal and substantive examination: 10 years from the filing date. Renewable for one additional period of 5 years.
Opposition: possible during the entire term of the design.

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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. Domain names are mentioned in the amended Law on Trade and Service Marks and Appellations of Origin of December 11, 2002.

FILING

• ccTLD: .ru; .su
• Applicant: individuals and legal entities.
• Local Presence: not required.

REMARKS

Duration - renewals: one year, renewable.
Uniform dispute resolution procedure: none.

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

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