Belarus News Archives
March 24, 2011
Belarusian National Television Airs Pirated Copy of “The Hurt Locker”
The Belarusian state television wanted to mark this year’s Academy Awards by airing movies that had won Oscars in the past. One of the movies that they aired was “The Hurt Locker”, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2010. However, it seems that the TV station aired a pirated copy of this movie, downloaded from the BitTorrent website Interfilm.
Toward the end of the movie, a female voice interrupted the scene with the message “This release is created exclusively for Interfilm.ru”, which means that the Belarusian television did not obtain the film legally. Interfilm.ru is a Russian movie-pirating site currently involved in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
The Belarusian state television representative stated that they obtained proper licenses for the movie through the Russian company GALA Media, describing the message referring to Interfilm.ru as “a technical error”.
For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.
Source: Blog TorrentFreak with the latest news on the BitTorrent protocol and file sharing
November 24, 2009
New Belarus Law on Trademarks and Service Marks Enters Into Force on January 25, 2010
The new Belarus Law on Trademarks and Service Marks will enter into force on January 25, 2010. The amendments to this law, which were passed in July 2009, are intended to harmonize Belarusian law with the EU legislation.
The new law includes a chapter on well-known marks. The chapter defines a well-known mark and outlines the procedure for determining a trademark as well-known. According to the new law, a well-known trademark’s term of protection is infinite, provided that the trademark remains well-known.
A trademark that has not been renewed can be applied for by a third party six months after the registration term has expired. However, if the owner has voluntarily withdrawn the trademark registration, the new applicant may register the mark immediately, without having to wait for the 6-month period to expire.
The non-use grace period has been reduced from five to three years.
For more information please contact Aleksandra Noveska at our Macedonia office.
April 14, 2009
Belarus Adopts New Regulation on License, Assignment, Pledge and Franchise Agreements
On March 21, 2009, the Belarusian Council of Ministers adopted a new Regulation on the Registration of License Agreements, Assignment Agreements, Pledge Agreements on Industrial Property Rights, and Franchise Agreements.
The regulation was drawn up in line with the State Measures for Intellectual Property Protection for the period between 2008 and 2010, adopted by the Council of Ministers on November 21, 2007.
The new regulation contains a list of agreements that need to be registered with the state patent institution: license agreements, assignment agreements, pledge agreements on industrial property rights, useful patterns, industrial designs, sorts of plants, integrated circuit topographies, trademarks and service marks.
The regulation also applies to franchise agreements, and license agreements that grant usage rights to know-how, which pertain to a product or its production in any technical area.
It establishes deadlines for the registration of aforementioned contracts and outlines a list of documents necessary for their registration. It also sets forth provisions for the registration of license and other kinds of agreements on the transfer of intellectual property rights, in accordance with the Euro-Asian Patent Convention of September 9, 1994, the Madrid Agreement of April 14, 1891, and the Madrid Protocol of June 28, 1989.
The new regulation will replace the previous one, which was adopted on May 22, 2003, and is expected to enter into force after its official publication.
For more information, please contact Jovana Miocinovic in our Balkan Regional Office.
April 08, 2008
Belarus Adopts IP Protection Program
On Nov. 21, 2007 Belarus adopted a comprehensive program of IP protection for 2008-2010.
The State IP Program aims to enhance opportunities for foreign investment, establish incentives for artists, writers, and inventors, and to broaden public understanding of IP’s beneficial impact on economic and cultural development, among other goals.
For more information, please contact Judith Goeke.
June 21, 2004
Belarus Trademark Legislation
Amendments to the Trademark Law of the Republic of Belarus entered into force on January 19th, 2004.
One of the most significant amendments concerns the distinction of notions “trademarks” and “service marks”, which puts the provisions of the Belarusian legislation in line with international conventions on industrial property, namely Paris Convention (1883) and Nice Agreement (1957).
Other changes and amendments envisage:
- Complete list of conditions for signs which can be registered as trademarks and service marks;
- Broader definition of violation of trademark owner rights;
- Clear indications of what cannot be registered as a trademark and a service mark;
- Grounds for refusal of trademark registration;
- Reasons for premature termination of trademark validity;
- Conditions for invalidation of trademark registration in unfair competition cases.
In order to prevent inconsistent decisions relating to the protection of industrial property rights in Belarus, the trademark and service mark law changes were also introduced to the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus.
For more details on the amendments to the trademark law of the Republic of Belarus, please contact us.