Rospatent Restructured and Renamed

Rospatent, formerly an independent state agency, has been restructured and renamed as "the Federal Service on Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks" and subordinated to the new Ministry of Education & Science.

Dr. Alexander Korchagin was replaced by Boris Simonov as Russias top IP decision-maker.

The draft statute defining the new Federal Service should be issued by 1 April.

Delays are possible for IP owners with existing proceedings involving the Chamber of Patent Disputes.

The RF Government IP Commission under former Prime Minister Kasyanov is suspended.

While IP enforcement structures at the Ministry of Interior are unchanged, the renamed Federal Customs Service has been subordinated to the Ministry of Economy and Trade.

Draft IP legislation pending in the State Duma on issues ranging from copyrights and commercial secrets to criminal penalties for counterfeiters is unaffected.