Country Profile: Belarus

Laws

Main IP Laws (enacted by the Legislature)

• Law of the Republic of Belarus of July 17, 2002 № 127-W On Geographical Indications (2010)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of December 7, 1998 № 214-W On the Legal Protection of Topographies of Integrated Circuits (2010)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of April 13, 1995 № 3725 XІІ On Patents for Plant Varieties (2010)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of February 5, 1993 № 2181-XII On Trademarks and Service Marks (2009)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of May 16, 1996 № 370-XІІІ On Copyright and Related Rights (2008)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of December 16, 2002 № 160-W On patents for inventions, utility models, industrial designs (2007)

IP-related Laws (enacted by the Legislature)

• Law of the Republic of Belarus of December 10, 1992 No. 2034-XII on Counteraction to Monopolistic Activities and Promotion of Competition (2010)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of May 10, 2007 № 225-W On Advertising (2009)
• Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus December of December 7, 1998 № 218-W (2009)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of July 17, 2008 No. 427-W On Media (2008)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of February 3, 1993 No. 2151-XІІ On the Customs Tariff [Amended as of November 13, 2008] (2008)
• Law of the Republic of Belarus of November 25, 2004 No. 347-W On State Regulation of Foreign Trade (2004)

Implementing Rules/Regulations

• Decision of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus No. 55 of June 20, 2007 Оn Customs Operations Connected with Suspension of the Customs Clearance of the Goods Containing Intellectual Property Objects (2007)
• Edict of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 439 of August 7, 2002 On Accession of the Republic of Belarus to the Convention on Protection of the Interests of the Manufactures of the Phonograms from Illegal Reproduction of Their Phonograms (2007)
• Edict of the President of the Republic of Belarus on Accession of the Republic of Belarus to the International Convention on Protection of the Rights of the Performers, Manufacturers of the Phonograms and Broadcasting Organization (2007)

Treaty Membership

WIPO-Administered Treaties (Entry into force of treaty for contracting party)

• Trademark Law Treaty
• Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations (May 27, 2003)
• Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms (April 17, 2003)
• WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (May 20, 2002)
• WIPO Copyright Treaty (March 6, 2002)
• Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (January 18, 2002)
• Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Micro-organisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure (October 19, 2001)
• Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification (March 12, 1999)
• Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs (July 24, 1998)
• Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (June 12, 1998)
• Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (December 12, 1997)
• Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (December 25, 1991)
• Nairobi Treaty on the Protection of the Olympic Symbol (December 25, 1991)
• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (December 25, 1991)
• Patent Cooperation Treaty (December 25, 1991)
• Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (April 26, 1970)

IP-related Multilateral Treaties (Entry into force of treaty for contracting party)

• London Protocol on Water and Health to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (July 21, 2009)
• Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions 2005 (March 18, 2007)
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (September 29, 2006)
• WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (December 7, 2005)
• Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (November 24, 2005)
• International Plant Protection Convention (October 2, 2005)
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (May 17, 2004)
• Second Protocol to the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (March 9, 2004)
• Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity (September 11, 2003)
• Helsinki Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (August 27, 2003)
• International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) (January 5, 2003)
• Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (October 30, 2001)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (August 9, 2000)
• Convention on Biological Diversity (December 29, 1993)
• International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods (July 5, 1993)
• Universal Copyright Convention of 6 September 1952, with Appendix Declaration relating to Article XVII and Resolution concerning Article XI (July 27, 1991)
• United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (November 1, 1990)
• Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts. (April 23, 1990)
• Protocol (II) Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts. (April 23, 1990)
• Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (January 12, 1989)
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (January 3, 1976)
• Convention on Transit Trade of Land-locked States (August 10, 1972)
• Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (August 7, 1957)
• Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (August 7, 1957)
• Convention (I) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field. (February 3, 1955)
• Convention (II) for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea. (February 3, 1955)
• Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. (February 3, 1955)

IP Regional Treaties (Entry into force of treaty for contracting party)

• Agreement of the Producing of a Regional Informational Patent Publication on CD-ROM (May 22, 2001)
• Agreement on mutual preservation of inter-state secrets in the area of legal protection of Inventions (January 31, 2000)
• Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - Agreement on Measures for the Prevention and Repression of the Use of False Trademarks and Geographical Indications (of June 4, 1999) (June 4, 1999)
• Agreement on Cooperation in the Repression of Offenses in the Field of Intellectual Property (January 19, 1999)
• Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of the Protection of Copyright and Neighboring Rights (December 4, 1997)
• Eurasian Patent Convention (EAPO) (August 12, 1995)
• Agreement concerning the Measures of Protection of Industrial Property and Establishing the Interstate Council for the Industrial Property (March 12, 1993)

IP-relevant Bilateral Treaties (Entry into force of treaty for contracting party)

• Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement between Belarus and Switzerland (August 1, 1994)
• Rules for the Recognition of a Trademark as a Well-Known Trademark in the Republic of Belarus, Order No. 2 dated August 9, 2001 (2001)