The Russian Parliament has adopted a draft law that allows the executive branch to exempt certain goods from intellectual property rights protection.
The draft law gives the Government authority to temporarily annul the rules on protection of intellectual property rights in relation to goods or groups of goods specified in the relevant act of the Government or authorized agency.
We believe that the measure is likely to apply to certain essential goods, medicines and medical products, foods, agricultural seeds, technological items and other goods that could be produced in Russia under import-substitution programs, primarily in the absence or insufficiency of such goods to meet the needs of Russian users and businesses.
The adoption of the draft law could significantly affect law enforcement practice and the possibility of protecting exclusive rights in Russia but as of today it is difficult to evaluate all the consequences of such a Government decision in terms of international law and the protection of investors’ interests or to predict the specific goods that might be affected.
