Seminars “Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Russia”

In October 1999, during the visit of the Russian delegation headed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Helsinki, the Finnish representatives raised the problem of violation of intellectual property rights of certain Finnish companies and organizations in Russia.

For clarification of possibilities existing under the Russian legislation for protection of legitimate rights of foreign proprietors of patents and trademarks, Sojuzpatent with support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the Russian Trade Mission in Helsinki has organized and held a seminar dedicated to “Practical matters of intellectual property rights’ protection in Russia”. The officials from the Russian Patent Office, State Customs Committee, Anti-Monopoly Ministry, Supreme Arbitration Court, Ministry of Internal Affairs and a number of other ministries and administrative bodies took part in the seminar. Sojuzpatent arranged their meetings and round tables with representatives of corresponding ministries and administrative bodies of Finland.

Having regard to encouraging results of the seminar in Helsinki, Sojuzpatent organized similar meetings in Milan (April 2000) and in Paris (December 2000).

During the seminars, the participants raised problems concerning changes and amendments in legislation on intellectual property; the role of famous marks and company names in consideration of disputes connected with trademark rights’ violation; arbitration court practice in deciding on trademark rights’ violation cases; administrative protection of trademark proprietors’ rights under the Unfair Competition Act, Customs and Criminal Codes.

For Russian manufacturers Sojuzpatent organized seminars on the subject “Intellectual Property protection in Russia and world-wide”. The seminars were held in Perm, Vyatka, Nyzhniy Tagil, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk. The topics raised also covered commercialization of intellectual property objects.