IP Outreach Research > IP Use and Awareness
Reference
| Title: | Intellectual Property Rights in Russia - A Survey of Russian and International Brand Holders |
| Author: | [The PBN Company] |
| Source: | The Coalition for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR) |
| Year: | 2006 |
Details
| Subject/Type: | IP Protection |
| Focus: | Economic / Financial Impact, Enforcement |
| Country/Territory: | Russian Federation |
| Objective: | To assess the current intellectual property situation in Russia. |
| Sample: | 102 international and Russian rightholders, and 81 companies/trade associations |
| Methodology: | Surveys |
Main Findings
In 2006, 59% of some of the largest brand owners in Russia said that the country’s intellectual property (IP) laws had improved over the past five years; nearly 30% perceived no change, and 13% said that the situation had worsened.
According to 48% of those surveyed, counterfeiting has increased over the past five years; 37% observed a decline and 15% no change. Over 40% of IP owners either did not know or refused to say whether their own products are counterfeited. Of those responding, only 8% affirmed that their products are not counterfeited. 47% said that counterfeits are manufactured primarily in Russia, while 41% cited China (with the remainder going to Ukraine, Belarus and other countries). Estimated costs of IP crime are substantial: 40% reported annual losses over U$1.000.000; about 10% said that their annual costs exceed U$25.000.000 annually.
The most important IP issues for rightholders in Russia are: enforcing IP rights (66%), fighting counterfeiting and piracy (57%), and stopping bad faith trademark registrations (53%). They also want the government to focus on strict enforcement of existing IP legislation, rather than on making changes to IP laws currently in force.
Rightholder recommendations for authorities include “cleaning up corruption in law enforcement” (85%), “joint enforcement actions by law enforcement authorities and IP owners” (76%), “educating consumers and media about IPR issues” (74%), and “training judges” (72%). However, few respondents perceived IP protection as a priority of the Russian government, and even fewer said that government agencies for IP protection/enforcement are effective.
During 2005, 73% of rightholders surveyed registered trademarks; 43% took administrative actions to enforce intellectual property rights (IPRs); 33% took court actions to enforce IPRs, or filed for patent protection; and about one in three respondents conducted independent or joint anti-counterfeiting raids with government authorities.
[Date Added: Oct 21, 2008 ]