Rospatent, the Russian Patent and trademark office, has published its new official fees on its website.
The changes are due to Russia becoming a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and will remove the previous discriminatory higher fees for non-residents. The new official fees for patenting inventions, utility models and industrial designs and for registering trademarks, licences and assignments will be equal for residents and non-residents; previously, non-residents were required to pay higher official fees than those stipulated for residents.
The new fees (to be paid in Russian roubles) will see some fees slightly increase and others substantially decrease. For example, the application filing fee for an invention Patent will be Rb1,650 (approximately $55 at the current exchange rate) and the examination fee will be Rb2,450 ($80); the previous fees respectively were Rb5,400 ($180) and Rb8,100 ($270) for non-residents and Rb1,200 ($40) and Rb1,800 ($60) for residents. The official filing fee for a trademark application will be Rb2,700 ($90), whereas the previous fee was Rb2,000 ($60). The new examination fee will be Rb11,500 ($380) instead of the previous Rb8,500 ($280).
Applicants will also enjoy a 15% discount for applications filed in electronic format.
The authorities believe that joining the WTO, in tandem with ongoing national reforms, will assist in the development of the Russian IP market. Such positive changes provide new opportunities for foreign companies and individuals seeking protection of their intellectual property in Russia.
Yuri Pylnev