WTO ACCESSION
RAISING THE BAR: MEETING WTO OBLIGATIONS
Now that it is a member of the World Trade Organization, Russia must lift its game against the counterfeiters and pirates. Elena Solovyova finds out what progress has been made and where Russia is falling short.
When it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December 2011, Russia committed to harmonising its trade laws and practices with those of other member states. But the accession has wide-ranging implications for how Russia protects intellectual property rights, laid down in the Trade-Related Aspects of Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
Intellectual
Russia must continue to investigate and prosecute the owners of websites that infringe copyright, if their servers are located in the country. Similarly,
it must seek to reduce the 54
sale of counterfeit goods, punishing the people responsible. Russia must also apply the rules set out by the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, an international agreement governing copyright protection.
Resulting from bilateral negotiations with the US, Russia has other obligations when tackling counterfeiting and piracy. It has been shutting down websites that illegally distribute music and other copyrighted works, and has enacted laws to protect pharmaceutical test data from falling into the wrong hands. It has also introduced criminal
Trademarks Brands and the Internet Volume 1, Issue 2
penalties to deter piracy and counterfeiting, strengthened border enforcement and brought Russia’s laws into compliance with the international standards under TRIPS.
Russia must adhere to these provisions under TRIPS, but its own IP legislation has developed rapidly in the past 20 years, accelerating more recently. In 2011, a new law was passed to create a special state arbitration court for IP rights, which will become effective in February 2013. In July 2011, a customs union with uniform principles of IP protection between Russia, Kazakhstan
www.worldipreview.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68