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IPR Toolkit

Trademarks

Trademarks are valid for ten years from the filing of the application, and are renewable indefinitely for subsequent ten-year periods. Trademarks are governed by the Law of the Russian Federation # 3520-1 On Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin of Goods. Registration of a trademark confers exclusive proprietary rights. Foreigners may apply for and obtain registration and protection on the basis of international conventions to which the Russian Federation is a party or on the basis of reciprocity. Applicants not residing or established in the Russian Federation must appoint a patent attorney registered as such with Rospatent.

Trademarks — Use or Lose

A trademark registered in Russia must be used within three (3) years of registration, and after that time it can be subject to cancellation if not used for three or more consecutive years. Any party may apply to Rospatent's Patent Dispute Chamber to seek cancellation of a registered trademark that has not been used in the previous three years.

Many foreign rightsholders have encountered problems with "Trademark Squatters" -- individuals who find major trademarks that have either not been registered in Russia or have not been used within the prescribed three-year period. In many cases, these persons have no intention of making use of the trademark but hope to sell the trademark to the true owner of the work. Trademark owners should be sure to register their trademarks with Rospatent and to make use of their marks so as to withstand such challenges.


Registration Procedures

Applications must include:

  • The application form (in Russian)
  • A Power-of-Attorney, signed by the applicant (applicants not residing in Russia must be represented by a patent attorney registered with Rospatent)
  • 30 prints of the mark, maximum size 10 cm * 10 cm
  • Evidence of payment of required fees

Parties whose trademark applications are denied may file appeals to Rospatent's Patent Dispute Chamber. For more information, please see Article 13 of the Law of the Russian Federation # 3520-1 On Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin of Goods.