IP rights protection: Ukraine, Russian Federation and Belarus
As you know, the current armed conflict in Ukraine and the economic sanctions of the western countries against Russia and Belarus have complicated relations with these countries. In light of the current situation, we have raised the level of attention in relation to the maintenance and prosecution of your Intellectual Property rights in the countries involved.
Ukraine
The Ukrainian Patent and Trademark Office has established that official deadlines with respect to the office remain suspended as of 24 February 2022 for the next 30 days following the introduction of martial law, which was extended on 15 March 2022 for a further 30 days.
Russian Federation
Our agents have confirmed that they will continue to comply with the terms and payments originated by the pending procedures for Russian and Eurasian patents, trademarks and designs, despite the fact that international sanctions do not allow the payment of their invoices. Our agents have informed us that the announced disconnection of the Russian network from the Internet may cause communication disruptions, which will hopefully be remedied by other means.
Belarus
The cases are being handled by local Russian offices, so the same considerations apply as for Russia.
We are monitoring the situation continuously and will keep you updated on developments.
