There has been an amass of media news surrounding protection (or lack thereof) of intellectual property rights in Russia, with the most salient point being that intellectual property in Russia is, effectively, dead.
Following the withdrawal of foreign rights holders from the Russian market, there have been various instances of businesses falsely branding themselves as world famous brands opening, such as the Gucci Café, which is by no means linked to the Italian luxury brand. Third parties have been registering world famous brands as trade marks and the courts have made steps to limit the amount of compensation available for those who have found their intellectual property rights have been infringed.
With that being said, it is worth noting that intellectual property laws in Russia have not been subject to any significant changes and enforcing intellectual property rights in the jurisdiction should remain largely the same. It appears, following the 2022 Peppa Pig case, that foreign rights are still recognised and recovery of compensation for infringement of the same is still viable.
Though this may not present as a pertinent concern for businesses right now, it may be a consideration for when the Russian market re-opens.
If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.
in: Civil Procedure, Companies, Consumer Law, Copyright, EU/International, Legal News, News, Regulatory, Trade Marks
