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ARTICLE · 26 APRIL 2022

How Russia Laid Groundwork For Seizing IP Rights Before Ukraine Invasion

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
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Among intellectual property (IP) lawyers, there is considerable buzz [PDF] over the recent trademark filings in the Russian Federation for obvious and deliberate knock-offs of the world famous...

GlobalIntellectual Property
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
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Among intellectual property (IP) lawyers, there is considerable buzz [PDF] over the recent trademark filings in the Russian Federation for obvious and deliberate knock-offs of the world famous and iconic McDonald's golden arches design and IKEA brands. While not yet registered in Russia, their adoption and recognition would clearly flout many international treaties concerning intellectual property law to which the Russian Federation is a signatory.

Our collective moral outrage over this turn of events is misplaced, however, since Putin had already quietly signed a law back in December 2020, that allowed Russia's national legislation to take precedence over international treaties. We can be forgiven for not focusing exclusively on this legislative change when it was bundled with so many other, more controversial constitutional amendments, such as banning same-sex marriage and enforcing "patriotic" education in Russian schools.

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