Rospatent chief outlines measures against abusive trademark registrations

Rospatent head Yury Zubov warned businesses about rights holders who register branding associated with existing projects and then bring claims against companies operating under those names.

In a RIA Novosti interview published on October 18, Zubov said such rights holders are informally called patent trolls, although the problem in Russia almost always concerns trademarks. He said they produce nothing themselves and seek protection for as many goods and services as possible.

Applications use classes within the International Classification of Goods and Services. Zubov said broader lists increase the opportunities for claims against other businesses.

He recommended registering a trademark early in a project’s development. He also pointed to fee changes introduced last year that make applications covering excessively broad lists of goods and services more expensive.

Another measure is a declaration of intent to use the trademark included in applications. Zubov said this should make it easier to challenge registrations or seek partial termination of protection through the Intellectual Property Court.