Coalition for Intellectual Property Rights

TRADEMARK LAW'S FINAL APPROVAL "BEGINS NEW ERA FOR IP RIGHTS IN RUSSIA"

Moscow — The State Duma gave final approval today to long-awaited amendments to the Law on Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin. "Unanimous approval by 337 Duma Deputies demonstrates that the political will required for real IP reform in Russia may be reaching critical mass," said CIPR President Peter Necarsulmer.

"Today's vote sets the stage for rapid enactment of other pending and equally important amendments to Russia's Copyright and Patent Laws. Expectations are also rising about the prospects for the effectiveness of the new RF Government Commission on Intellectual Property which will conduct its first meeting in the near future," he added.

CIPR, a private-public-consumer partnership exclusively focused on protecting and enforcing IP rights in the CIS and the Baltics, has been a leader in drafting and lobbying the revised Trademark Law, as well as much stiffer anti-counterfeiting penalties and other amendments to the Russian Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure.

CIPR Senior Vice President Alexander Shelemekh strongly echoed recent calls by Rospatent General Director Alexander Korchagin and Duma Deputies Petr Shelisch and Grigory Tomchin for unified action by all Russian and international IP owners. "Just as the Government agencies and Duma fractions have put aside technical and political differences, so must software developers, trademark owners and copyright holders set aside their specific industry interests to ensure the growing momentum for IP reform and enforcement," he said.

CIPR recently established a broad-based Working Group, including consumer organizations, copyright advocates, business associations, government officials and trademark owners and organizations from Russia and abroad. The Working Group is coordinating legislative and enforcement initiatives to be submitted for consideration by the RF Government Commission on Intellectual Property as well as the State Duma.

CIPR Working Group member Dmitry Yanin, First Vice-President of the Confederation of Consumer Societies (KonfOP) said, "We hope that the State Duma will rapidly proceed to revise related IP legislation which will allow for more effective operation of the enforcement branch of the government. KonfOP believes that the major obstacle to overcoming counterfeiting is the low efficiency of the law enforcement agencies which have neither the technical resources nor the political directives and budgetary support required to stop counterfeiters and pirates," he added.

"Now is the time for diligence and focus," concluded Peter Necarsulmer, CIPR President. "Combined and constructive efforts by rights holders, consumers and enlightened government leaders is the only formula for continued progress on IP reforms in Russia."