Region: Russian Federation

McDonald’s exit from Kazakhstan could be sign of things to come

McDonald’s may not be the only big brand forced to exit Kazakhstan due to Russia-related supply chain issues, Saturday’s opinion argues.

21 January 2023

Case offers valuable clarity for trademarks based on cultural objects

Russia’s IP Court has published a ruling that illuminates the custom and practice of granting trademarks identical to the names of culturally significant objects. The court delved deep into several thorny issues – from when permission is necessary to how to balance registrations with the public interest.

08 December 2022

Russian IP courts ban ‘ros’ prefix in company name

Company names in Russia are prohibited from including the full or abbreviated names of official government bodies. Now three courts have unanimously agreed that the ‘ros’ element of company ROS-PRAVO’s name could mislead consumers.

17 November 2022

Russian IP Court upholds finding of confusion in product mixing case

Russia’s specialist IP court has finally resolved a case involving the issue of confusion when different products are introduced into circulation together. The decision provides welcome clarity in this contradictory area.

06 October 2022

IP Court overrules Rospatent’s finding of similarity for marks in different classes

A fresh finding from the Presidium of the IP Court on similarity between marks may affect Rospatent’s registration practice, since the office has recently tightened the requirements for uniformity at the examination stage.

22 September 2022

UN telecoms agency election will have significant implications for brands as Russian and US candidates go head to head

“There are potential significant global implications of the election for IP issues writ large,” a former senior US government official tells WTR.

31 August 2022

IP Court clarifies partial refusal due to risk of confusion

The court reversed Rospatent’s decision, noting that it misinterpreted the applicability of two methods of challenging the decision to register a mark and emphasised that the state body could not take into account the future termination of legal protection, therefore the cancellation of the decision did not indicate its illegality.

25 August 2022

Unprecedented flood of infringement: study reveals hundreds of opportunistic filings in Russia as foreign brands targeted

A major new study has identified nearly 500 trademark applications filed in Russia that are identical or similar to famous foreign brands.

24 August 2022

Smart & Biggar joins IPH, Mariah Carey QUEEN OF CHRISTMAS backlash, Russian coffee chain on former Starbucks sites – news digest

In our latest round-up, we look at Embracer Group acquiring the IP rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Anaqua earning recognition for its IP legal offerings, and much more.

19 August 2022

IP Court clarifies criteria for assessing distinctive marks

The IP Court has overruled Rospatent with regard to the strength of visual elements of particular word marks, highlighting the subjective nature of assessment and the importance of visually distinctive branding.

04 August 2022