December 02, 2021

Tajikistan accedes to the Eurasian Protocol on the Protection of Industrial Designs

The Protocol on the Protection of Industrial Designs to the Eurasian Patent Convention entered into force in the Republic of Tajikistan as of November 30, 2021 after the deposit of the country's instruments of ratification 3 months prior.

The Protocol establishes a system which, in turn, allows for applicants to file a single industrial design application accompanied by one set of fees, in the Russian language, to either the EAPO or a national office of a member state, covering all contracting states to the Protocol.

As such, the introduction of Tajikistan to the Protocol henceforth means that applications for Eurasian industrial designs may now be valid in the six states in which the Protocol has been enforced, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Tajikistan.

Initially introduced on September 9, 2019, the Protocol is underpinned by the Eurasian Patent Convention, to which Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are contracting parties.

The accession of Tajikistan to the Protocol on the Protection of Industrial Designs to the Eurasian Patent Convention demonstrates a consistent growth of the subsequent system stemming from the Protocol, and an ongoing advancement to the intellectual property sphere in the region.

Further to the approval of the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO) to act as both an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), a ceremony was held on November 22, 2021 signifying the signing of the corresponding Agreement. The draft Agreement was signed in October, with the introduction of the EAPO as an ISA and IPEA set to strengthen the role of the Russian language within the PCT system. The date of commencement of the EAPO as an active ISA and IPEA will be announced in due course.

Verified by Mikhailyuk, Sorokolat & Partners.

Author: Danielle Carvey
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