A draft Law on Amending the Russian Civil Code was published

On February 7, 2012, on the web-site of the Supreme Arbitrazh Court of the Russian Federation a  Draft Law on Amending the Russian Civil Code prepared by the Council of the Russian President on Codification and Improving the Civil Legislation (further — Draft) was published. It was submitted to the Russian President on January 31, 2012. The Draft is scheduled to be submitted to the State Duma in spring of this year.

According to the Draft, amendments are be made in all parts of the Russian Civil Code including Part 4.

In virtually, to all the chapters of Part 4 of the Russian Civil Code it is scheduled to introduce some wording changes, as well as amendments and changes in the provision of the merits. For example, in the field of industrial property, it could be noted, in particular, the following changes:

• in Chapter 69 «General»: Some of the points of the provision on the joint exclusive right (paragraph 3, Article 1229) are detailed; it is facilitated the public registration of contracts on intellectual property (paragraph 3, Article 1232); it is being introduced a provision establishing a ban on gratuitous alienation of the exclusive right or granting an exclusive license in relations between the commercial entities (paragraph 4, Article 1234 and paragraph 6, Article 1235); in case of collision with the rights, the principle of the «senior law," along with the means individualization, will subsist to industrial designs (paragraph 6, Article 1252);
• in Chapter 72 «Patent Rights»: opportunities are limited for an applicant to amend the documents of the application (Article 1378); it is ruled out the possibility of application for a group of utility models (Article 1376); it introduced the examination as to patentability of a utility model (Article 1390), and it is decreased the term of its protection from 13 to 10 years (Article 1363); it is proposed to delete from the content of the application for an industrial design «the list of the essential features» and to determine the essence of the industrial design, and a scope of the protection granted only upon the images of the industrial design (Articles 1354, 1358 and 1377); it is being introduced the concept of the dependent invention, utility model or industrial design, which could not be used without the consent of the patent holder to the invention, utility model or industrial design, in relation to which they are dependent; it is not envisioned the opportunity of the adoption of the patent invalid and after its termination (paragraph 1, Article 1398);
• Chapter 76 «Rights to means of individualization…»:
  • trademarks: it is being introduced a provision that since the publication of the application information, a person can send to the Russian PTO objections to granting any protection to the mark applied for (paragraph 1, Article 1493); and the division of the application would also be possible for the duration of objections of the applicant to the Russian PTO decision, adopted on application (paragraph 2, Article 1502);
  • Appellation Of Origin: In the person of the authorized body, the State monitoring shall be set for the preservation of the special properties in the goods, for which there were registered appellations of origin (paragraph 5, Article 1522); after publication of the application, any person will be able to provide the Russian PTO their arguments against granting a legal protection for appellations of origin or the right to use an appellation of origin (paragraph 9, Article 1522);
  • Chapter 77 «Right to use the results of the intellectual property in a united technology» is invited to recognize a void.