The new IP landscape in Russia
The protection of intellectual property rights has not been defined as a sanctionable activity. At first, the exclusive rights related to IP became a means of politicking and pressure, but now the situation is much calmer. From a purely legislative point of view, the situation is not that alarming.
Protection of and respect for intellectual property rights in Russia has historically been high. The legislation and the practices of the Russian IP court have been up-to-date. Russia has also made great efforts to develop the IPR field during the last few years.
Restriction of exclusive IP rights
In response to sanctions, Russia has made some decisions and put in place new laws that enable the state—under specific circumstances—to restrict exclusive IP rights. However, in accordance with the new legislation, all restrictions must be well justified, eg to ensure the safety, health and well-being of Russian citizens. In practice this means, for example, ensuring the availability of medicines, food and other vital commodities.
To ensure the availability of essential commodities, the following restrictions to exclusive IP rights are possible:
