Review of Legislation
russian federation[1]
The present document records the
introductory statement made by the delegation of the Russian Federation, and
reproduces the questions put to it and the responses given in connection with
the review of legislation initiated at the Council's meeting of 10-11 October
2013.[2]
The review was
concluded in February 2015.[3]
_______________
1 Introductory Statement made at the meeting of the council for trips
on 10‑11 October 2013
The Russian Federation has
provided detailed answers to the questions from the United States, the European
Union and Switzerland concerning implementation of Russian national legislation
in the IP area, and it was quite a long list of answers and questions. We thank
the Secretariat for their help which was provided, and was necessary for us.
From our perspective, these answers give a clear understanding of the situation
with IP protection in Russia and the situation is getting better, but we are
not going to cease, and we expect some new changes in our national legislation
which will provide more copyright protection, and we will notify these changes
without delay.
2 Responses to questions posed by the european union[4]
IPR IN INFORMATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS INCLUDING THE
INTERNET
We have been
informed about a new legislative proposal by the Ministry of Culture titled
"On Introduction of Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian
Federation for the Purpose of Elimination of Violations of Intellectual
Property Rights in Information and Telecommunication Networks Including
the Internet".
1. How will this proposal work together with the planned amendments to
Part IV of the Civil Code?
2. What are the current intentions of the
Russian government in respect of the liability of internet service providers? Do any of the measures notified or planned modify
the commitment to take action against internet websites that promote
illegal distribution?
On 24th
May 2013 the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, during the
session of Presidential Council of cinematography said: "One of our
topics is fighting internet piracy. We shall pay a serious attention to
this topic. And I want to assure you that we will not forget it."
After
receiving such kind of encouragement at the highest level, many experts started
to work actively with the legal base of fighting internet piracy. One of
the results of this work was an adoption of the law "on
introduction of changes in acts of the Russian Federation in connection with
protection of the intellectual property rights in the information and
telecommunications networks" on 2 July 2013, with the adoption of The
Federal Law No. 187-ФЗ (thereafter – the Law).
The new "Antipiracy Law" introduces
the principle of liability of internet service providers and mechanisms of
blockage of illegal content by a court decision. For the moment, the scope of
the law is limited to films.
From the side of the Government, we will
study attentively how the law will be implemented. Meanwhile, the Government
will also work on a package of necessary amendments.
It is important to note that the adopted law
has allowed us to make a real step forward in this direction. It makes possible
to overstep through many contradictions, and to make a basis for the next
development of the legislation for fighting internet piracy.
The adoption of the Law was a sign to start
the work on improvement of Russian legislation in this area. Such process will
be very fast.
It is expected that the main work will be on
the:
- extension of scope of protection to all objects of intellectual
property rights (phonograms, books, images, etc.);
- preventive and quick mechanisms which will restrict
access to infringing content (interaction of right holder and service provider before going to
the Court);
- improvement of law enforcement; and
- clarification of provisions on liability of such kind
of providers as torrents.
COLLECTIVE RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
3. Do any
of the measures notified or planned, modify the scope of rights that are
subject to collective management as provided for in Article 1244 of the Civil
Code?
Now the change of Article 1244 of the Civil
code of the Russian Federation is not intended because of the following
reasons:
·
A practical realization of the legal institute of expanded collective
management of rights has led to the stabilization of a system of
collective management and to the increase of dues and payment
of compensation to rightholders (including foreign). Bi-annual data from
accredited organizations to the Ministry of Culture show that dues/payment
of compensation on copyrights have increased by several times, and on
related rights and dues on private copying by hundreds of times.
·
Russian legislation realizes the form of activity of organizations on
collective rights management, what is applied in Scandinavian countries,
including WIPO's recommendations from 1991 on monopolization of activity of
companies on collective management of copyrights and related rights.
·
The legal institute of State accreditation on what was introduced in
2008 finished "legal" nihilism what was acted since 1993, when: (1) a
few dozen organizations competing together existed, it was negative for
the image of an institute of collective rights management; (2) was full user's
ignoring of obligations to payment the compensation.
·
The list of spheres of collective management, in which state
accreditation are provided, are constricted to some spheres where rights
management is not possible in individual order, or difficult.
·
Now, the Russian Federation is a leader in due/payment of the
compensation in all countries of the Post-Soviet states. According, to
CISAC PAO (copyright legal organization) the Russian Federation has entered to
triple of most dynamically developing countries at level of dues in 2012.
·
In Post-Soviet states where the institute of accreditation does not
exist (i.e. the Republic f Kazakhstan, and
the Republic of Moldova) or where it has been abolished (Ukraine),
a decline in dues/payment of the compensation has been observed. In
the Ukraine a total breakup of all systems, that is main pretension from
the United States of America what is marked in Report 301 in 2012.
·
The change of legislation by non-monopolization of activity in
collective management led to the decline of dues of the compensation
(Italy).
·
In the institute of state accreditation not only right holders, but also
users who use right holder's objects of unlimited quantity (e.g. users who make
daily unlimited broadcasting of objects of the intellectual property on radio
and TV), are interested.
4. Do these measures envisage expansion
of the mandate of collective management organisations?
The
expansion of the mandate of collective management organizations in amendment in
Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation is not provided.
5. Do any of the measures
notified or planned, modify the right under Art 1244 of the Civil
Code, which ensures that the rights holder without a contract with
a collective management organisation has the right to refuse its services?
The
amendments of Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation do not
establish any changes in point 4 of Article 1244 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation where a procedure of withdrawal rights from management
of accredited organization is established.
6. Do any of the measures
notified or planned involve those that would be intended to monitor and
hold accountable organizations engaged in collective management of rights
to ensure that right-holders receive remuneration that is due to them?
In
the draft amendments of Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation,
the responsibility of organizations engaged in collective management of
rights about non-payment, the remuneration what is due to right holder is
provided.
It
is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the absence of an indicated
provision in Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation does
not deprive right holders of the right to apply to court with a demand
about punishment from organization a pecuniary sums what are due to the right
holder, and to use another way of protection provided in acting legislation.
7. Is the Russian Federation
following up on its commitment to review its system of collective
management of rights in order to eliminate non-contractual management
of rights within five years after Part IV of the Civil Code entered into
effect (2008)?
The
Russian Federation complies with its liabilities in full regarding what it has
taken on with entry to WTO. One such liability is building the system what
protects copyright and related rights effectively.
The
Ministry of Culture, as the federal organ of executive authority which
authorized to carry out regulatory legal regulation in the sphere of copyright
and related rights, control and supervision in indicated sphere, realized
corresponding revision of system of non-contract management of rights and next
results of the institute of state accreditation are:
·
Payments of
compensation to right holders about different kinds of use, rights are
increased since the moment of introduction of the institute of state
accreditation in comparison with period of realization the collective
management of rights on basis of direct contracts from 1993 to 2008.
·
At this moment,
annual stable progress in the activity of accreditation is observed as the
number of contracts are concluded with international organizations of
management of rights in dynamics of growth of dues and payments in
compensation, etc. It affirms that the possibilities of using the system
of state accreditation still has not been exhausted and does not need to change
existing system.
·
In society, the
understanding of compliance for users author's rights and other right holders
with use the results of the intellectual activity is formed, what in future
will exclude the Russian Federation from a list of countries which may not
provide the effective protection of intellectual property.
·
An acting system
allows not only to pay compensation to right holders but also to decide other
social problems with the rise in creative activity and a citizen's legal consciousness,
ministration to young musicians.
·
Introduction of
the institute of state accreditation has provoked a process of the formation of
a uniform judicial practice for consideration of disputes about performance of
accredited organizations, a functions of dues, distribution and payment of the
compensations.
·
All indicated
allows to claim than cancel of non-contract management of rights and non‑monopolization
of the institute of collective management of copyrights and related rights will
lead to lowering of level of legal security of right holder's rights and legal
interests.
Considering
that some foreign music in the territory of the Russian Federation is very big,
the lowering of levels of legal security of right holders' rights and legal
interests will affect foreign right holders, because it will be difficult to
protect their rights on the territory of the Russian Federation as
experience shows in the two previous decades.
It
is necessary to note that inside the Customs Union between members – the Republic of Kazakhstan,
the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Belarus project of Agreement about
unified order of management of copyright and related rights on collective
basis, is developing now. Indicated projects will contain: maximally allowable
size of retention on necessary costs about dues, distribution and payment of
the compensations; organization's duty to public annual reports about their
activity in their official websites; and also duty to carry out annual
independent audit for check and confirmation of reliability implemented due,
distribution and payment of the compensations.
PRIVATE COPYING
8. Do an of the measures notified
or planned modify the scope of "private copy" concept as defined in
Article 1273 of the Civil Code?
In Article 1273 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation cases are provided of withdrawal and restriction of the
right holders' exclusive right in the case of reproduction of the results of
the intellectual activity by individual person for personal purposes.
It is necessary to pay attention to the fact
that, in Article 1273 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, positions
correspond to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic
Works of 9th September 1886 (Berne Convention) of which the Russian
Federation is a member since 1995 and of the TRIPS Agreement.
Herewith, in point 2 of Article1273 of the
Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the results indicate - in the
intellectual activity (phonograms and audiovisual works) about reproducing them
for personal purposes - that right holders have the right to receive
compensation, in accordance with Article 1245 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation.
System of dues, distribution and payment of
compensation for free reproduction for personal purposes started to function in
full from October 2010, since the moment of the adoption of the Decision of the
Government of the Russian Federation, No. 829 on 14th October 2010, where it
established the size of funds for payment of compensation and are governed
order of due, distribution and payment of the compensations. In this
connection, to pay attention to the fact that in this sphere of collective
management activity, the compensation due may not realized in case if few
organizations will lead it; now adoption of some steps that may change the
concept of free reproduction for personal purposes is not provided.
THE MONETARY THRESHOLD IN CRIMINAL PROCEDURES AND PENALTIES REGARDING
COPYRIGHT PIRACY
9. Do any of the measures
notified or planned provide guidance on the application of the monetary
threshold for application of criminal procedures and penalties with regard to
copyright piracy, in order to reflect realities of the commercial market,
notably regarding the internet market?
The application of the monetary threshold for
application of criminal procedures and penalties with regard to copyright
piracy was explained in the Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court
No. 14 of 26 June 2007. The Resolution indicates that in process of identification
of the scale of a crime (large or very large scale), the decision should
be based on the retail value of the original (licensed) copies of works or
phonograms at the time of the crime, based on the number of them,
including copies of works or phonograms, belonging to different right holders.
It is important to add that if the infringer commits the copyright crime twice
or more, his crime will be considered as a criminal case without taking in
consideration the monetary threshold.
THE NEW DRAFT SEED LAW
It seems that a new draft seed
law is being prepared in Russia. The issue is currently dealt with by the
Federal Law on the Protection of Selection Achievements of August 6, 1993. This
new law, regarding plant variety protection would introduce the so-called agricultural
exemption which is an optional exemption under Article 15(2) of the UPOV 1991
Convention. Under such an exemption a farmer is allowed to use the product
of his harvest for further propagating purposes of a protected variety without
the authorization of the title holder but against a reasonable
remuneration. Nevertheless, pursuant to the recommendation on Article 15(2),
annexed to the UPOV Convention, such an exemption can be introduced only
to the extent as such use has been common practice in the given country, i.e.
only for certain crops and for one generation.
It appears that the plan is to
introduce such an exemption without any limits, meaning that for all crops and
for several generations. This seems not to be in line with the UPOV 1991
Convention to which Russia is a contracting party.
10. Could we receive a detailed
explanation as to the rationale behind the new law?
The Russian Federation will be glad to
organize bilateral consultations on this issue. The EU question needs
more clarification. The Federal Law on the Protection of Selection Achievements
of 6 August 1993 is not in force since 2008 when Part Four of Civil Code of the
Russian Federation was introduced. It needs to be clarified what exactly
EU partners consider the draft of law.
THE LAW ON THE CIRCULATION OF MEDICINES
11. Please
explain how Article 18.6 of the Law on Circulation of Medicines is currently
applied in Russia, e.g., is the six-year term of protection currently in force
or does it require additional guidelines or other implementing measures?
12. If it
is in force, could you explain the process used to provide this protection?
13. Please
explain the relationship of Article 18.6 with Article 26 of the Law on
Circulation of Medicines, which allows for the accelerated review of generic
applications.
14. What
are the measures being taken in order to avoid legal uncertainty that is
created by lack of clarity regarding data protection?
Article 18 of Federal Law FZ-61d. of
12.04.2010 has been complemented with section 7 of the following content:
"It is prohibited to receive, disclose, commercially use and use
for state registration any information on non-clinical research of medical
products and clinical research of medical products, provided by the applicant
for state registration of medical products without their permission for six
years since the date of state registration of a medical product.
Non-observance of the prohibition stated by the above-mentioned section
entails amenability in compliance with laws of the Russian Federation.
Turnover of medical products registered with violation of this section
on the territory of the Russian Federation is illegal".
The above-mentioned section has applied since
22 August 2012.
To observe requirements of section 7 of
Article 18 and prevent violations of exclusive rights of developers of medical
products, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in its draft bill
"on amendments to Federal law, "on turnover of medical products"
and to Article 333.32.1 of part two of the Tax Code of the Russian
Federation" made an amendment to the composition of the registration
dossier (Article 18, section 3) by including documents that verify:
"12) presence of intellectual rights
13) presence of consent of an applicant of an original medical
product to use information about results of non-clinical and clinical
researches of the original medical product in case less than six years has
passed since the registration of the original medical product."
Article 26 FZ-61 d.d.12.04.2010 "on
turnover of medical products" applies only to urgent production of
expert's evidence but not to urgent registration. Since rapid production of
expert's evidence may be applied to reproduced medical products, provision of
information obtained during non-clinical and clinical researches of the
original medical product and published in specialized publications is possible
during such procedures, if the original medical product is not covered by
patent protection.
At the moment, a series of amendments in the
Law on Circulation of Medicines N61 is being considered by the Government.
Different provisions related to Article 18 will be introduced to avoid any
possible misunderstanding of the provision.
At the same time, the Russian Federation,
according to the Doha Declaration (on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health) of
2001, in which a concern about the impact of intellectual property rights on
medical products prices was expressed and ultimately reserves the right to
consider applying Article 8 of the TRIPS Agreement in terms of implementing the
right to health, which states that during drafting or amending of national laws
or regulations member states can take measures necessary in protecting
population's health, as well as Article 30 of the TRIPS Agreement which contemplates
some exclusions from exclusive rights granted by patents while barring
unjustified limitations of rights of patent-holders and third parties.
Particularly the right to "early usage" does not contradict this
Article (the so-called Bolar provisions) which allows generic drugs producers
to conduct all the procedures and trials necessary to registration of a generic
drug before patent to the original drug expires (or exclusive research data
regulations). As a result they are guaranteed the possibility of entering
generic product to the market right after the stated period has expired.
At the moment, a series of amendments in the
Law on Circulation of Medicines N61 is being considered by the Government.
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS (GIS)
15.
Where does the Russian notion of appellations of origin (AOs) stand with
respect the TRIPS concept of GIs?
16. Please explain, how the
generic use of EU geographical indications in the draft Customs Union Technical
Regulation on Safety of Alcoholic Products is in line with the protection
provided to those terms under TRIPS rules?
Upon accession of the Russian Federation to
the WTO, questions about concordance of the Russian legislation in intellectual
property with the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement is analyzed including by
other Members of WTO. Within the framework of preparation for accession to the
WTO, no discrepancies in legislation were discovered. The legislation of the
Russian Federation about appellations of origin corresponds to the Paris
Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the provisions of the
Geographical indications (GIs) part of the TRIPS Agreement.
It is necessary to mark that Section 3
"Geographical Indications" of Part 2 "Standards Concerning the
Availability, Scope and Use of Intellectual Property Rights" of the TRIPS Agreement
obliges the member countries to provide legal measures to secure legal
protection of geographical indications on their territories. According to
Article 1 "Nature and Scope of Obligations" of Part 1 "General
Provisions and Basic Principles" of the TRIPS Agreement, countries are
free to use the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement within the framework of their
own legal systems.
The legal system of the Russian Federation
provides a registration of appellations of origin which are part of
geographical indications. Moreover, legal protection of geographical
indications may be realized not only because of registration of geographical
indications as appellations of origin in established law order, but within the
framework of antitrust legislation, legislation about advertisement, and
consumer rights protection.
As to the generic use of EU geographical
indications in the draft Customs Union Technical Regulation on Safety of
Alcoholic Products, it is important to note that in the August 2013 Draft of
Customs Union Technical Regulation on Safety of Alcoholic Products there are no
generic used of EU geographical indications.
3 Responses to questions posed by switzerland[5]
General
1. Are the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement, as far as not
implemented in national law, directly applicable in the legal system of the
Russian Federation?
The Protocol of Accession of the Russia
Federation to the WTO was ratified by the State Duma of the Russian
Federation on 22 August 2012. Since this date, the TRIPS Agreement became part
of the Russian legislation system. Obligations of the Russian
Federation, taken during the accession process, were implemented through amendments
to the national legislation.
Patents
2. Does
the legislation of the Russian Federation grant patent protection for
inventions relating to products and processes in all fields of technology? Are
there any exceptions? If yes, please indicate these exceptions and explain how
they comply with Article 27 of the TRIPS Agreement.
In
accordance with Article 1350 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, a
technical solution in any area (we consider it as an invention in fields
of technology) related to a product (including a structure, substance,
micro-organism strain, or culture of cells of plants or animals) or a
means (a process of conducting actions on a material object with the help
of material means) shall be protected as an invention. An invention shall be
granted legal protection if it is new, has an inventive level, and is
industrially applicable.
The
Article provides that legal protection for inventions shall not be granted to:
varieties of plants, breeds of animals and biological methods of obtaining
them, with the exception of microbiological methods and products obtained
through the use of such methods.
We
consider that these exceptions fully comply with Article 27 of the TRIPS
Agreement.
3. Does
the legislation of the Russian Federation, in accordance with Article 27.1
in combination with Article 31 of the TRIPS Agreement, consider
importation as "working" a patent and therefore preclude
compulsory licensing, if a product is being imported?
4. Does
the legislation of the Russian Federation make the granting of
a compulsory licence subject to all the conditions enumerated in Article
31 of the TRIPS Agreement? Please cite the relevant provisions of the
legislation.
Article 1362 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation is devoted to the detailed regulation of questions of
compulsory licensing. Quotas regulating compulsory licensing are founded on the provisions of the Paris
Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Article 5 item A(2)) and
the TRIPS Agreement (Articles 31 and 40).
Semantic
maintenance of the notion "conditions corresponding to established
practice" used in Article 1362 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation and the notion "reasonable commercial conditions"
used in Article 31(b) of the TRIPS Agreement, are the same.
In
the case of insufficient use of an invention or industrial design during the
four years since the date of granting of the patent or utility model – during
three years since the date of granting of the patent and a patent holder's
refusal to conclude licence contract with interested person on conditions
corresponding to established practice, this person shall have the right to go
to court with a suit against the patent holder for the granting of a compulsory
simple (non-exclusive) licence for the use of an invention, utility model,
or industrial design. In the demand for the lawsuit, the interested person
must indicate the proposed of the granting to him of such a licence, including
the scope and conditions of use of the patented object, the amount, procedure,
and times of payments. The Court makes a decision about the granting of
the compulsory licence if the patent holder does not show that
non-use or insufficient use by him of the patented object is based on
valid causes. All cases of using of patented object are defined in the court
decision. The right provided in conformity with the compulsory licence may not
be transferred to third persons.
In a
case where the circumstances that were the basis for the granting of the simple
(non‑exclusive) licence cease to exist and their reappearance is unlikely, then
acting of the compulsory licence may be terminated by judicial procedure on a
suit by the patent holder. This quota corresponds to Article 31(c) of the
TRIPS Agreement. A duty of proof of absence of these circumstances is
charged to patent holder. In this case, the terms and procedure
of termination of the licence and termination of the right is arised with
getting of this licence are established by the court.
Article
31(I)(ii) of the TRIPS Agreement foresees a "cross licence".
Analogous quota is contained in item 2 of Article 1362 of the Civil Code
of the Russian Federation. The present item establishes rules for a situation
where the use of one patented invention is connected to the using of other
patented invention or patented utility model. If other person have the patent
to this other invention or utility model than using of first patented invention
needs to get a permission from other patent holder. In case of refusal of other
patent holder to get a licence, first patent holder shall have the right to go
to court with a suit for the granting of the compulsory licence. Observation of
conditions "an important technical achievement" and "a
significant economic advantage" is directed to the protection of hindering
patent holder's interests and this quota provides some balance of interests for
both patent holders and the society in full, as long as society is interested
in the creation of an important technical achievement, patenting them and their
use.
In
the case of granting compulsory licence by court decision, the second patent
holder acquires the right to get from the first patent holder an analogous
licence for such invention to procure the use provided by the compulsory
licence. It is necessary to note that positions in this item do not provide any
possibility to demand submitting the compulsory licence for procuring
the possibility to use patented utility model. Such limitation is
stipulated because the patent of a utility model is distributed without
verification it is its patentability.
The provisions of Article 1362 of the Civil
Code of the Russian Federation about the compulsory licensing in case of
insufficient use the industrial design during four years do not contradict to
Article 5(B) of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
so long as the submitting of the compulsory licence of a patented industrial
design does not mean a cessation of his legal protection.
A reconsideration of court decisions is
realized in conformity with the Civil Procedural Code of the Russian Federation
and the Arbitration Procedural Code of the Russian Federation.
The procedure for the reconsideration of a
court decision on compulsory licensing, based on Article 1362 of the Civil Code
of the Russian Federation, is provided in Procedural legislation.
5. Does
the legislation of the Russian Federation provide for the principle
of the reversal of burden of proof in patent litigation? Please cite
the relevant provisions of the legislation.
The
principle of burden of proof in Russian patent legislation is incorporated in
Articles 1350, 1351, and 1352 of Civil Code of the Russian Federation only
on describing conditions of patentability of an invention, utility model
and industrial design.
According
to the provisions of these articles the burden of proof that the circumstances
have taken place, by virtue of which the disclosure of information does not
prevent the recognition of the patentability of the invention, utility model or
industrial design, shall rest on the applicant.
Protection
of Undisclosed Information
6. According
to Article 18.6 of Federal Law No. 61-FZ "On the Circulation
of Medicines", in force since 22 August 2012, Russia implemented the
obligation under Article 39.3 of the TRIPS
Agreement to protect undisclosed information in marketing approval procedures
against unfair commercial use by granting a term of protection of six
years against reliance by a second applicant. Please explain how this
protection is being implemented and enforced in practice, and whether a
new administrative regulation addressing the practical aspects of the
application of Law No. 61-FZ is going to be put in force.
7. Can
you confirm that, despite an accelerated procedure for generic products
registration as provided for in Article 26 of Law No. 61-FZ, the Russian
marketing approval authorities do not allow reliance on the data submitted by
their originator for the full term of protection of six years from the date of
state registration of the medicinal product?
Article
18 of Federal Law FZ-61 d.d. 12.04.2010 has been complemented with section 6 of
the following content:
"It prohibited
to receive, disclose, commercially use and use for state registration
any information on non-clinical research of medical products and clinical
research of medical products, provided by the applicant for state
registration of medical products without their permission for six years since
the date of state registration of a medical product.
Non-observance of
the prohibition stated by the above-mentioned section entails amenability in
compliance with laws of the Russian Federation.
Turnover of medical
products registered with violation of this section on the territory of the
Russian Federation is illegal."
The
above-mentioned section applies after 22 August 2012.
To observe the
requirements of section 7 of Article 18 and prevent violations of exclusive
rights of developers of medical products, the Ministry of Health of the
Russian Federation, in its draft bill on "Amendments to Federal Law",
"On Turnover of Medical Products" and "Article 333.32.1
of Part Two of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation", made an
amendment to the composition of the registration dossier (Article 18, section
3) by including documents that verify:
12) Presence of intellectual
rights;
13) Presence of
consent of an applicant of an original medical product to use information about
results of non-clinical and clinical researches of the original medical product
in case less than six years has passed since the registration of the original
medical product.
Article
26 FZ-61 d.d. 12.04.2010 "On Turnover of Medical Products" applies
only to urgent production of expert evidence but not to urgent registration.
Since rapid production of expert evidence may be applied to reproduce
medical products provision of information obtained during non-clinical and
clinical researches of the original medical product and published in
specialized publications is possible during such procedure if the original
medical product is not covered by patent protection.
Actually
a series of amendments in the Law on Circulation of Medicines N61 is considered
by the Government. Different provisions related to Article 18 will be
introduced to avoid any possible misunderstanding of the provision.
At
the same time, the Russian Federation, according to the Doha Declaration of
2001 on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health in which a concern
about the impact of intellectual property rights on medical products'
prices was expressed and ultimately reserves the right to consider applying
Article 8 of the TRIPS Agreement in terms of implementing the right to health,
which states that: during drafting or amending of national laws or regulations,
member-states can take measures necessary in protecting population's health, as
well as Article 30 of the TRIPS Agreement which contemplates some
exclusions from exclusive rights granted by patents, while barring
unjustified limitations of rights of patent holders and third parties.
In particular, the right to "early usage" does not
contradict this Article (the so-called Bolar provisions) which allows
generic drug producers to conduct all the procedures and trials necessary
for the registration of a generic drug before the patent of the
original drug expires (or exclusive research data regulations). As a
result, they are guaranteed the possibility of entering generic product
to the market right after the stated period has expired.
Provisional
Measures
8. Do
the judicial authorities of the Russian Federation have the authority to adopt,
on the request of a rightholder, a provisional measure inaudita altera
parte before an action leading to a decision on the merits of the case has
been lodged? Please cite the relevant provisions of the legislation.
According
to Article 141 of Civil Procedural Code of the Russian Federations an
application for providing for a claim shall be considered on the day of its
arrival to the court, without notifying the defendant and the other
persons taking part in the case. The judge or court shall issue a ruling
on taking measures to provide for the claim.
According
to Article 93 of Administrative Procedural Code of the Russian Federation
an application for securing a claim shall be considered by an arbitration
court trying the case. This is to be done by a single judge, at latest, on
the day following the date when the application comes to the court, without
notifying the parties thereto of it.
Thus,
the court of law and arbitration court have the right to accept provisional
measures immediately without notifying the party of dispute on which measures
are imposed.
9. Does
the legislation of the Russian Federation provide for any restrictions for
obtaining provisional measures? If so, what are these restrictions?
Please cite the relevant provisions of the legislation.
The
statement for acceptance security (provisional) measures can be submitted both
simultaneously with the statement of claim and already in the course of
judicial process.
By
the general rule, an application for securing a claim shall be considered by an
arbitration court trying the case. This is to be done by a single judge, at
latest, on the day following the date when the application comes to the court,
without notifying the parties thereto of it, including
if the statement for claim maintenance is submitted simultaneously
with the statement of claim (Article 93 of Administrative
Procedural Code of the Russian Federation,
Article 141 of the Civil Procedural Code of the
Russian Federation). In that case, the question on acceptance of the
statement of claim to consideration is examined by an arbitration court not
later than the next day after the day of receipt of the statement of claim
by arbitration court.
Upon
the consideration of the statement for securing a claim, the arbitration court
takes out a court decision on securing the claim or on refusal of claim
securing.
Securing
measures hold action for all periods of legal proceedings before their
cancellation. In the case of satisfaction of the claim, securing measures
hold the action upon execution of the judicial act which finalise this
legal investigation. In the case of refusal of satisfaction of the claim,
keeping the claim without consideration, cessation of case, securing measures
hold the action upon the entering into force of the corresponding judicial act.
After the entering into force of the judicial certificate the arbitration
court, at the petition of the person participating in case, takes the decision
on cancellation of measures on securing of the claim or specifies it
in judicial act.
As
measures of protection from the statement for securing a claim, the other party
(respondent) can declare objections, in essence, in judicial session, when the
specified petition is considered with a call of both parties. In other
cases, the interested person has the right:
- To present counter security measures
(Article 94 of the Administrative Procedural Code of the Russian Federation);
- to dispute
imposition of security measures (Article
97 of the Administrative Procedural Code of the Russian Federation and Article 144, Civil
Procedural Code of the Russian Federation);
- to request
replacement of one security measure by another (Article
95 of the Administrative Procedural Code of the Russian Federation and Article 143,
Civil Procedural Code of the Russian Federation);
- to file a suit
on indemnification or payments of indemnification, caused by securing the claim
(Article
98 of the Administrative Procedural Code of the Russian
Federation and Article 146,
Civil Procedural Code the Russian Federation).
According
to Article 98 of Administrative Procedural Code of the Russian Federation,
the respondent and other persons whose rights and/or legitimate interests
are violated by securing a claim shall be entitled - after entry into
legal force of the judicial act of an arbitration court on the refusal to
allow the claim - to demand of the person that has applied for taking the
precautionary measures, repair of damages in the procedure and in the amount
provided for by the civil legislation or payment of compensation.
10. Please describe the provisional measures provided for in the
legislation of the Russian Federation, including those for combatting
counterfeiting and piracy. Please describe the procedures that must be
followed and cite the relevant provisions of legislation.
Security
(Provisional) Measures - the measures directed on maintenance of the claim or
property interests of the applicant (claimant). Security measures can be
accepted at any stage of consideration of the dispute in an arbitration court
or court of law if non-acceptance of these measures could complicate or make
impossible the execution of the judicial act, including if such execution
is supposed outside the Russian Federation, and also with a view to the
prevention of causing considerable damage to the applicant.
Under
the statement of the person participating in judicial proceedings, and in the
cases provided by agrarian Administrative Procedural Code of the Russian
Federation and Civil Procedural Code of the Russian Federation, under the statement
of other persons the arbitration court and court of law can accept urgent time
security measures (measures on claim maintenance).
According
to Part 1 of Article 91 of the Administrative Procedural Code of
the Russian Federation and Article 140 of the Civil Procedural Code
of the Russian Federation, Security Measures (measures on claim maintenance)
can be:
- Forbidding the
respondent, or other persons, to commit certain actions concerning
the subject of the dispute;
- placing on the
respondent the duty to commit certain actions for the purpose of preventing
damage to, or deterioration of the condition of, disputable property;
- transfer of
disputable property to the claimant, or other persons, for keeping custody
thereof;
- end over
measures.
According
to point 2 of Article 1252 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation,
in the arrangement of the provision of security for a claim in a case
of infringement of exclusive rights, the material media, equipment and
materials that are allegedly involved in an infringement of the exclusive
right, to the result of intellectual activity or means of individualization,
may be subjected to the security measures established by the procedural
legislation, e.g. seizure of material media, equipment and materials.
According
to Article 1302 of Civil Code of the Russian Federation, on cases of
infringement of copyrights and related rights, a court may forbid a
defendant, or a person believed on sufficient grounds to be an infringer of
copyright, from carrying out certain actions (i.e., manufacture, reproduction,
sale, hiring out, importation or other use envisaged by the present Code, and
also the transportation, storage or possession of copies of a work for the
purpose of using them in civil law transactions, if the copies are
understood to be counterfeit.
The
court may also order the seizure of all copies of a work that is assumed to be
counterfeit, as well as materials and equipment used or intended for
manufacture or reproduction/playback thereof.
11. Please
describe the measures provided by the legislation of the Russian Federation to
combat counterfeiting and piracy at the border. Please explain whether
the competent authorities are empowered to act ex officio and, if so,
please indicate the enforcement actions that may be taken. Please cite the
relevant provisions of the legislation.
In
accordance of Article 306 and Article 307 of the Federal Law, from 27 November
2010, No. 311-FZ a rightholder, having sufficient grounds to believe
that his/her/it's right may be infringed, is entitled to file an application
with the federal executive governmental body empowered in the area of customs
affairs asking for inclusion of the relevant intellectual property item in the
customs register of intellectual property items, in accordance with the
legislation of the Russian Federation in connection with the import
of goods into the Russian Federation, or the export thereof out of the
Russian Federation, or when other actions take place involving goods being
under customs control. On behalf of the rightholder, the actions envisaged by
the customs legislation of the Customs Union and the present federal law
may be committed by his/her/it's representative.
The
Customs Register of Intellectual Property Items is the main protecting instrument.
The following may be included in the Customs Register of Intellectual
Property Items (hereinafter referred to as "the register"):
the copyright law items, subjects of allied rights, trademarks, service marks
and appellations of origin of products in respect of which the federal
executive governmental body empowered in the area of customs affairs has taken
a decision on taking measures relating to the suspension of clearance of
goods. Inclusion in the register is free of charge. The register shall be
kept by the federal executive governmental body empowered in the area of
customs affairs in the procedure established by this body.
The
intellectual property items, in respect of which the federal executive
governmental body empowered in the area of customs affairs has taken a decision
on taking measures relating to the suspension of release of goods, shall be
included in the register on the condition that the rightholder ensures the
performance of the undertaking mentioned in Part 5 of Article 306 of the
Federal Law, by the methods envisaged by the civil legislation of the Russian
Federation. Instead of security for the performance of the undertaking, the
rightholder is entitled to file a contract of insurance for the risk of
liability for infliction of harm for the benefit of the persons specified in
Part 5 of Article 306 of the present federal law. In this case, the sum of
security for the undertaking, or the insured amount, shall be at least
300,000 rubles.
If
within one month after the date of despatch of a notice on the decision taken
on measures relating to the suspension of clearance of the goods the
rightholder fails to file a document confirming security for the undertaking,
or a contract of insurance for the risk of liability for infliction of harm, the
federal executive governmental body empowered in the area of customs affairs
shall take a decision on refusal to include the intellectual property item in
the register.
The
federal executive governmental body empowered in the area of customs affairs
shall ensure that the data in the register is published in its official
publications and placed on its official internet website, in the procedure
established by it.
In
accordance of Article 309 of Federal Law, from 27 November 2010, No. 311-FZ
customs bodies' decisions on suspension of the release of goods; extension
of the term of suspension of release of goods; revocation of a
decision on suspension of the release of goods; and
also on the granting of the right to information and to the
taking of samples and specimens, shall be taken by a customs body not later
than the next working day after the date of discovery of signs
of a breach of intellectual property rights, receipt of a relevant
written application, or of the commission of another action
deemed grounds for taking the relevant decision.
In
accordance of Article 331 of Customs Code of Customs Union if during
realization of customs actions related to the placing under customs
procedures goods containing objects of intellectual property included in
the customs register kept by the customs body of the member‑state of the
Customs Union, the customs body finds signs of infringement of the rights
for intellectual property, the release of such goods is suspended for ten
working days.
If
there is a request from the rights holder or the party representing his
interests, this period may be prolonged by the customs body, however, not more
than ten working days, if the mentioned parties applied to the
authorized bodies for protection of the rights of the rights holder,
in compliance with the legislation of the member-states of the Customs Union.
Decisions
suspending the release of goods and prolonging the period of suspension of
release of goods are adopted in writing by the head of the customs body or the
person authorized by him.
No
later than within one working day following the day of adoption of the decision
suspending the release of goods containing objects of intellectual property,
the customs body shall notify the declaring party and the rights holder or
the parties representing their interests of such suspension, the reasons and
periods of suspension, as well as report to the declaring party the name
(full name) and the place of location (address) of the rights holder
and/or the party representing his interests, and to the rights holder or the
party representing his interests the name (full name) and place of location
(address) of the declaring party.
Upon
the expiry of the period of suspension of the release of goods containing
objects of intellectual property, the release of such goods is renewed and
is carried out according to the procedure specified in the Customs Code of
the Customs Union, except for the cases when the customs body gets
documents confirming the withdrawal of goods, their arrest or confiscation, or
other documents in compliance with the legislation of the member-states of the
Customs Union.
Customs
bodies may suspend the release of goods containing objects of intellectual
property not included in the customs register; kept by the customs body of
a member state of the Customs Union and the joint customs register of
objects of intellectual property of member states of the Customs
Union, without application of the rights holder, according to
the procedure specified in the legislation of the member-states of the
Customs Union.
The
rights holder shall be held liable, in compliance with the civil legislation of
member-states of the Customs Union for property damage incurred on the
declaring party, the owner, the recipient of the goods containing objects
of intellectual property as a result of suspension of the release of goods in
compliance with the present Chapter, if violation of the rights of the rights
holder is not found.
Enforcement
of Intellectual Property Rights
12 Please
describe how the legislation of the Russian Federation meets the requirements
of Article 41 of the TRIPS Agreement. Please cite the relevant provisions.
Different
provisions of following legislative acts: the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offences;
the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation; the Arbitration Procedure
Code of the Russian Federation; the Civil Procedure Code of the Russian
Federation; the Criminal Procedural Code of the Russian Federation;
the Federal Law from 27 November 2010, No. 311-FZ "On Customs
Regulation in the Russian Federation"; the Federal Law from 26 July
2006, No. 135-FZ "On Competition Protection".
In
order to increase the effectiveness of IPR litigations, in March 2013, an
Intellectual Property Arbitration Court was created.
13. Please
indicate the authorities responsible for the application of the
measures provided by the legislation of the Russian Federation to combat
counterfeiting and piracy. Please explain whether the competent authorities
are empowered to act ex officio and, if so, please indicate the enforcement
actions that may be taken. Please cite the relevant provisions of the
legislation.
In
the Russian Federation, the authorities responsible to combat counterfeiting
and piracy are: the Ministry of Interior; the Investigation Comity, the
Prosecutor, and the Federal Customs Service.
In
accordance to the third part of Article 20 of the Criminal Procedural Code of
the Russian Federation, criminal cases related to the illegal use of
objects of copyright or related rights, as well as: the acquisition,
storage or carriage of counterfeited copies of works or phonograms for the
purpose of sale carried out on a large scale; illegal use of an invention,
useful model, or industrial design; disclosure of the essence of an invention,
useful model, or industrial design without the consent of its author or
applicant, and before the official publication of information about them;
illegal acquisition of authorship, or the compelling to co-authorship,
are considered as criminal cases of the private-public prosecution and are
initiated only upon application from the victim, or from his legal
representative, but are not subject to the termination in connection with the
victim's reconciliation with the accused, with the exception of the cases
envisaged in Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
In accordance
to the third part of Article 20 of Criminal Procedural Code of the
Russian Federation, the head of an investigative agency, the investigator,
as well as the enquirer with the consent of the procurator, shall institute a
criminal case on any crime indicated in parts two and three of this
Article and in the absence of an application of the victim or
his legal representative, if the crime has been committed with
respect to a person who, due to his dependent or helpless state or for
other reasons cannot defend his rights and legal interests. The other
reasons shall also include the case of commission of a crime by a person the
information about whom is unknown.
All
other acts committed under Articles 146, 147 and 180 of Criminal Code of the
Russian Federation are criminal cases of public charge and are raised in
an order established by Article 146 Criminal Procedural Code of Russian
Federation.
14. Please
describe any new initiatives that are planned to improve the enforcement
of intellectual property rights in the Russian Federation. Is there a
particular action plan in place?
There
is no particular action plan on intellectual property rights enforcement in
the Russian Federation. Every competent body has a goal to promote
end increase the protection of IPR.
However,
some initiatives have recently been realized. First of all, the creation in
March 2013 of the Intellectual Property Arbitration Court.
The
second initiative is the fight against internet piracy. The first step was done
in July with the adoption of Federal Law No. 187-ФЗ. The new
"Antipiracy Law" introduces the principle of liability of
internet service providers, mechanisms for blockage of illegal content by
a court decision. For the moment, the scope of the Law is limited to
films, but different amendments concerning the extension of scope of protection
are in the stage of public discussions.
4 Responses to questions posed by the United States of america
4.1 Responses to Original Questions[6]
1. Article
1232 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 359): We are concerned that this may impose a
formality. Do rightsholders have to register alienations of exclusive rights?
Would a foreign author who sells or assigns a right have to register such
sale/assignment in Russia?
According to Article 1232 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation (hereinafter – CC RF) in cases when the result of
intellectual activity or means of individualization is subject to state
registration, alienation of the exclusive right to such result or such means by
contract, pledge of this right, and grant of the right of use of such result or
such means by contract, and likewise also the transfer of the exclusive right
to such result or such means without a contract are subject to state
registration.
Exclusive rights to such objects of intellectual
property as inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks and
service marks (hereinafter – trademarks) shall be recognized on the condition of
their state registration. Regarding computer programs, databasesand topology of
integrated circuits state registration is conducted at the option of the
rightholder.
Thus currently in the Russian Federation subjects to
state registration are contracts for the alienation of the exclusive right to
an invention, utility model, industrial design, computer program, database,
topology of integrated circuit and contracts for grant of the right of use
(including license contracts and franchise) and contract for the pledge of an
exclusive right to invention, utility model, industrial design, trademark,
topology of integrated circuit.
Order and terms of state registration of the four
abovementioned types of juridical facts are established by the Government of
the Russian Federation.
In regard to objects of copyrights and related rights
which do not need to make state registration,
it is stipulated in Article 1259 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation.
2. Article 1234 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 360-361): We have two concerns
here. 1) Paragraph 1 seems to require a complete transfer of all the
rights as the only type of exclusive license that an author can give. Can an
author provide an exclusive license limited to only one right (i.e.,
reproduction) and maintain ownership of the other exclusive rights? 2)
Paragraph 2 appears to impose a formality (see the term
"subject to state registration."). Do rightsholders have to register
the contract of alienation of exclusive rights? Would a foreign author who
sells or assigns a right have to register such sale/assignment in Russia?
Article 1233 of the
Civil Code of the Russian Federation provides two kinds of contract on the
disposal of an exclusive right by rightholder: Contract for the Alienation of
an Exclusive Right (Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Article 1234) and
License Contract (License Contract, Article 1235).
License Contract
provided in Article 1234 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation Contract
for the Alienation of an Exclusive Right provide author's (rightholder's)
possibility to transfer (alienate) the exclusive right belonging to him to a
result of intellectual activity or a means of individualization in full scope
to the other party (the recipient) that means absence of the copyright to use
transmitted the result of intellectual activity in any way subsequently. By a
contract for the alienation this right shall pass to the recipient acquiring
the result of intellectual activity.
In Article 1235 of
the Civil Code of the Russian Federation stipulates that a license contract (on
submitting of an exclusive license or nonexclusive license). Such kind of
contract is widely used in all countries as the rightholder's method of
disposal of exclusive rights whereby the licensor (rightholder) saves the
exclusive right to a result of intellectual activity and the licensee may use
the specific result of intellectual activity in stipulated ways on certain
territory by certain terms. Conclusion of License Contract shall entail a
transition of the exclusive right to the licensee.
In case the author
(rightholder) concludes a contract about alienation of the exclusive right to
the result of intellectual activity or to the means of individualization with
whom provide a procedure of state registration, than this contract also needs
to state registration.
Mandatory state registration are required only in the
Patent Rights Object (CC RF, Chapter 72), Achievements of
Breeding (CC RF, Chapter 73), Means of Individualization (CC RF, Chapter 76).
According contracts about alienation of the exclusive right to the indicated
result of intellectual activity shall be subject to state registration also
(paragraph 2 of Article 1232 of the CC RF). Contracts about alienation of the
exclusive rights to copyright or related right are not subject of state
registration.
3. Article 1235 (2) (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 361-362): We are concerned
that this may impose a formality. Do rightsholders have to register license
contracts? Would a foreign author who enters a license contract have to
register the license contract in Russia?
If authors (rightholders) conclude License Contracts
about granting right to use the result of intellectual activity which needs to
state registration, this contract also needs to state registration.
Currently subjects of state registration are license
contracts for the rights of use of an invention, utility model, industrial
design, trademark, and topology of integrated circuit (paragraph 2 of Article
1232 CCRF).
That being said, it is worth noting that there is a
pending project of Federal Law No. 47538-6 under consideration by the
State Duma of the Federal Assembly « Introducing Amendments to the First, Second,
Third and the Fourth Parts of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and
ndividual legislative acts of the Russian Federation», developed by the
Presidential Council of the Russian Federation on codification and improvement
of civil legislation (hereinafter – CC RF Project)
CC RF Project suggests radical changes to state
registration of contracts for the disposition of the exclusive right to objects
of intellectual property. In developing the CC RF Project, provisions of the
Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks ratified by Federal Law No.98-FZ d.d.
23.05.2009 «On Ratification of the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks»
were considered.
According to CC RF Project state registration of the
grant of the right of use of an invention, utility model, industrial design,
computer program, topology of integrated circuit, and trademark by a license
contract can be conducted on the request of the parties without providing the
contract itself.
4. Article
1240 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 363): We are concerned that this provision could
nullify negotiated terms by authors of underlying works. For example, if a
musical composition is used in a movie – either a pre-existing recording or one
created for the movie – the author of the composition often maintains some
rights, such as the right of public performance. Can a composer's contract
require that a film incorporating her music only be shown in
theaters/transmitted by broadcasters that are licensed to publicly perform
musical compositions or would 1240(2) nullify such a contract?
A film (audiovisual work) is an independent complex
object of author rights (Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Article 1259).
According to paragraph 1 of Article 1240 of the CC RF
a person who has organized the creation of a complex object including several
protected results of intellectual activity (e.g. the film) shall obtain the
right of use of these films on the basis of contracts (for the alienation of
the exclusive right or license contracts) concluded with the rightholders on
the respective results of intellectual activity, which had been used in the process
of creation of the film.
Herewith License Contract about granting right to use
(e.g. a music in the film) recognized be invalid in case if such contract
contains limiting to use music in the film.
Specified positions of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation correspond to positions of subparagraph (b) of paragraph 2 of
Article 14 bis of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and
Artistic Works from 9th September 1886 (farther Berne Convention) which
establishes that in the countries of Berne Union where legislation recognize
authors as primary possessor of copyrights about author's cinematographic work
who brought creative contribution in creation of this work; if they pledged to
bring creative contribution in creation of cinematographic work and they have
not some restrictive or special conditions, these authors may not prevent to
use cinematographic work for reproduction, spreading, public presentation and
performance, report along wires for general information, broadcast on the air
or another public report the work, and also forbid a subtitling and a
duplication text of cinematographic work.
Thereby author of music may conclude with a person who
has organized the creation of a complex object License Contract about the use of
his musical work in complex object, e.g. in the film, or contract for the
alienation the exclusive right by created musical work.
In case when concluding License Contract with author
of musical work are used in the film, author of music grant to producer of film
right to use his musical work in the film in all methods of use the film
including public performance (in case of use in cinema, for example),
communication over the air or by the cable. Moreover in accordance with
paragraph 5 of Article 1263 of the CC RF composer shall keep the exclusive right
to his work and may use his work in any method not prohibited by law, if he
hadn't transfer exclusive right to his work to the preparer in full.
The procedure of Conclusion a Contract for the
alienation the exclusive rights of the musical work is use when a musical work
is created spatially for being included in audiovisual work.
5. Article 1245 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 367): Please clarify what
rightholders are covered by authors, performers and manufacturers in the sound
recording context. Chapter 71 addresses the manufacturers of and performers on
sound recordings, but there is no mention of their author. When you refer to
the author of the sound recording receiving 40% of the fee collected, do you
mean the author of the musical composition that is recorded? How is the musical
composition encompassed on a sound recording compensated under Article 1245?
In Article 1245 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation
rightholders who have the right to compensation for free reproduction of
phonograms and audiovisual works exclusively for personal purposes are authors
(authors of musical works (music and text) fixed in the phonograms and authors
of audiovisual works); performers (performers who fixed their performance in
the phonograms and performers who fixed their performance in the audiovisual
works); preparers of phonograms and preparers of audiovisual works who have the
exclusive rights acting (have recognized) on the territory of the Russian
Federation in accordance with Articles 1256, 1321 and 1328 of the Civil Сode of the Russian Federation.
Rightholders have right to compensation in accordance with paragraph 2
of Article 1273 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
Importers and manufacturers of equipment and storage devices used
for reproduction for personal purposes shall pay compensation to indicated
rightholders in accordance with Article 1245 of the Civil Сode of the Russian Federation.
Chapter 71 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation are mentioned in
the question is dedicated to general questions of rights related with
copyright.
6. Article 1249 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 369): We
are concerned that this may impose a formality. Do rightsholders have to
register computer programs or databases for those items to receive protection
or need to register "legally-significant actions" regarding computer
programs and/or databases? What must be registered under Article 1249?
As defined in paragraph 4 of Article 1259 CC RF for
the protection of copyright, the registration of the work or other formalities
is not required. With respect to computer programs and databases, registration
is possible in accordance with subparagraph 2 of paragraph 4 of Article 1259
and Paragraph 1 of Article 1262 CC RF. Such registration is not
right-establishing and is optional.
If the rightholder has registered a computer program
or a database in the Federal body of executive authority for intellectual
property, contracts for the alienation of the exclusive right to a computer
program or database as well as passage of the exclusive right to such program
or database are subject to registration in the Federal body of executive
authority for intellectual property (Paragraph 5 of Article 1262 CCRF)
Article 1249 CC RF does not provide any provisions on
registration of computer programs or database or connected legally significant
actions being obligatory. The article considers fees collected for the taking
of legally significant actions connected with state registration of computer
programs, databases, contracts for the alienation of the exclusive right to a
computer program or database as well as passage of the exclusive right to such
program or database (paragraph 1 of Article 1249 CC RF)
Unlike other results of intellectual activity or means
of individualization, registered in the Federal body of executive authority for
intellectual property, fees for which are set by the Government of the Russian
Federation, fees connected with computer programs, databases and topology of
integrated circuits are established by the legislation of the Russian
Federation on taxes and levies. The Tax Code of the Russian Federation
establishes a list of legally significant actions for the taking of which state
fees shall be collected, their amounts, procedure and times for payment, and
also the bases for freeing from payment of the state fees, reduction of their
amounts, postponement of payment or return of fees.
7. Articles 1273 and 1306 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at
379 and 390): These articles appear to provide an overly broad permission for
reproduction for personal use. Please explain how these articles address the
3-step test under TRIPS Article 13, including whether and how these
provisions permit reproduction of only one copy for personal use, where that
reproduction is made from a lawfully acquired copy.
Limitations and restrictions from rightholder's exclusive
rights were formulated in Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and
Artistic Works from 9 September 1886 (Berne Convention). In accordance with
paragraph 2 of Article 9 of Berne Convention members have right to foresee in
national legislation the restrictions of rights for reproduction of literary
and artistic works on condition that in national legislation shall be indicated
cases of such restrictions and it shall not cause harm to normal exploitation
of works and infringe author's legal interests.
Provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 9 of Berne
Convention reflected in Article 13 of the TRIPS Agreement as a quota about
possible restrictions or limitations from the exclusive copyrights and
related rights.
Paragraph 2 of Article 1229 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation correspond to above-mentioned international contracts which
determines that provided cases of free reproduction for personal purposes
do not cause unjustified harm to the ordinary use of the results of
intellectual activity and do not impair in an unjustified manner the lawful
interests of the rightholders.
Article 1273 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation establishes cases of free gratuitous reproduction of works (established
provisions concern by related rights also in accordance with Article 1306 of
the Civil Code of the Russian Federation), if it are realized with next
conditions:
-
individual
person realize the reproduction;
-
the
reproduction are realized exclusively for personal purposes;
-
a work
lawfully made subject by the reproduction.
Herewith the indicate Article contains list of free
gratuitous reproduction. These are cases when even intention to use
corresponding work for personal purposes do not liberate a citizen from
necessity to get rightholder's permission and to pay appropriate compensation.
Herewith with a passing of Part 4 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation
such cases were complemented by two new limitations:
Video recording of an audiovisual work in case of its
public performance at a please open for free attendance or at a place where
there are a significant number of persons present not belonging to the usual
circle of a family is not admitted even for personal purposes (subparagraph 5
of Article 1273 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation);
Reproduction of an audiovisual work with the aid of
professional equipment not meant for use in home conditions is not admitted
(subparagraph 6 of Article 1273 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).
Both indicated limitations allow to intensify fight with fabrication of a
pirate production.
Accordingly in accordance with indicated quotas
individual person have right to reproduce (means to manufacture for
satisfaction of own, family, household and other needs are not connected with
realization of entrepreneurial acting) a copy of the film from TV broadcast, to
reproduce work are placed in Internet in memory of computer, to make copy of
audio recording (phonogram) or magazine article on a tape-recording or on a
copier. Herewith the reproduction shall be realized such person personal
purposes of who taken in attention.
Provisions of Article 1273 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation don't spread to legal person who may not refer to inner needs
as to basic to reproduce work free even if such actions are not related with
person's commercial activity or are made to individual person's order.
8. Article 1274 (1) (1 and 2) (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2
at 380): These copyright exceptions (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 379) appear overly
broad. Both Articles 10 (1) and (2) of Berne Convention, which are incorporated
in Article 1274 (1 and 2), require that such use be compatible with fair
practice. Please explain how this fair practice limitation is addressed by
Article 1274 (1 and 2).
Provisions 1 and 2 of Article 1274 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation provide the use of works without the consent of the rightholder and
without the payment of compensation in case of citation in the original
language or in translation for scientific, polemical/critical, or information
purposes of works lawfully made public in an amount justified by the purpose of
citation, including the reproduction of excerpts from newspaper and
magazine articles in the form of press surveys and also in cases of use of
works lawfully made public and excerpts from them as illustrations in
publications, radio and television broadcasts, and sound and video recordings
of an instructional nature in an amount justified by the purpose thereof.
Necessary to note that provisions of Article 1274 of the Civil Code of
the Russian Federation are not subjected to widened interpretation and apply in
the relationship with paragraph 5 of Article 1229 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation establishes that limitation from exclusive rights to results
of intellectual activity shall be established on the condition that such
limitation does not contradict to the ordinary use of the works or object of
the related right and does not impair the lawful interests of the rightholders.
Indicated provision corresponds to Article 13 of TRIPS.
9. Article
1274 (1)(6) (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 380): We are concerned that this exception is
overly broad. Would a non-profit entity be able to use this exception when the
copyright owner has made the work available in the same format?
In accordance of provision 1 of
Article 1274 CC RF right to use of work lawfully made public without the
consent of the rightholder and without the payment of compensation in case of
reproduction without the extraction of profit in dot-relief type or other
special means for the blind. No matter organizational legal form of entity who
use work for purpose of reproduction for the blind. In present case shall be
observed next conditions: such reproduction shall be realized from work
lawfully made public; such reproduction and further spreading of work shall be
realized without extraction of profit.
Works representing the copy of work in any material form in quantity
which enough for satisfaction of requirement of public from depending of
character of work are admitted be made public.
Indicated provisions do not provide limitation of exclusive right of
works to benefit of persons with limited possibility including disabled persons
about hearing as it provided in legislation of United States of America, for
example.
In some countries (e.g.in Article 37 of the Copyright Law of Japan from
1970) such limitation of exclusive right spreads by works lawfully promulgated
(but not made public as in Russian legislation) that widen volume of this
limitation.
10. Article 1274(3) (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 380): This
exception appears to be overly board. Please explain how the exception limits
taking only the portion of the work necessary for the purposes of the parody.
The possibility of creation of works in the genre of a
literary, musical, or other parody, or in the genre of caricature on the basis
of work lawfully made public without the consent of the rightholder and without
the payment of compensation and subsequent use of caricature or parody without
the payment of compensation to author of original work are established in
paragraph 3 of Article 1274 of the Civil CodeCivil Code of the Russian
Federation.
Provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 1274 of the Civil
CodeCivil Code of the Russian Federation on free creation and use in the genre
of a literary, musical, or other parody, or in the genre of caricature on the
basis of another (original) work lawfully made public without the consent of
the author of such original work appeared in Russian legislation as a result of
borrowed approach of Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 22/05/2001 "On the harmonization of certain aspects of
copyright and related rights in the information society" according to sub
point (k) of point 3 of Article 5 of the Directive what admit may provide for
exceptions or limitations in case of use for the purpose of caricature, parody
or pastiche.
Article 1274 of the Civil CodeCivil Code of the
Russian Federation provides that parodies and caricatures shall be used in for
Informational, Scholarly, Instructional, or Cultural Purposes, how it show name
of Article.
In this way author of original work have not right to
prohibit to use his work in indicated method on the basic of provisions of Part
4 of the Civil CodeCivil Code of the Russian Federation, but in case if parody
or caricature denigrate honor, dignity or reputation of author of original
work, he have right to protect it in order are established in Article 125 of
the Civil CodeCivil Code of the Russian Federation.
Should take in attention that creation of parody or
caricature is not a recast of primary (original) work; it is creation of new,
independent work. Parodies and caricatures are recognizable that is associated
with primary (original) works because of likeness of maintenance (what is not
copyrighted), but not because of likeness wit form (what is copyrighted).
11. Article 1280(4) (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 382): This
language appears to be overly broad. Please explain how this article addresses
the requirements of the 3-step test under TRIPS Article 13.
The provisions of the Article 1280 explains in detail
rights of the owner of a copy a computer program or a database. These rights
are limited to some cases. The main condition of the article is that the person
has the obligation to own the copy lawfully. Paragraph 4 of the article 4
implements the provision of Article 13 of the TRIPS Agreement, making an
explanation that the application of the provisions provided by the Article must
not cause unjustified harm to the normal use of a computer program or database
and must not impair in an unjustified manner the lawful interests of the author
or rightholder.
12. Articles 1285 and 1307 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 383
and 391): We are concerned that Articles 1285 and 1307 appear to limit a
rightsholders ability to enter into exclusive licenses for a specific right and
to require the rightsholders to transfer the "work in full." Can a
rightsowner transfer one exclusive right, for example, e.g., the right to
perform a work, and still maintain ownership of the other exclusive rights,
e.g., reproduction, synchronization?
Author or subject of related right have right to
conclude with other person contract of alienation (transmission) of the
exclusive right to the concrete result of intellectual activity that is mean
transmission of the exclusive right in full without author's possibility to
keep right to use such result in accordance with Articles 1285 and 1307 of the Civil
CodeCivil Code of the Russian Federation.
In this way in case if rightholder transferred the
exclusive right to use result of intellectual activity to other person, he does
not keep right to use such result.
Herewith the Civil CodeCivil Code of the Russian
Federation provides also another model of disposal of the exclusive right when
rightholder have right to grant for other persons right to use result of
intellectual activity by means of conclusion License Contract are provided in
Articles 1286 and 1308 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Under the
conditions of License Contract rightholder stay as holder of the exclusive
right and the licensee acquires right to use object on the conditions
established by a contract only (e.g. the reproduction only or the public
performance only) on the definite territory in definite terms.
13. Article 1334(2) (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 399): Any
copyrighted work or object of related rights incorporated into a database must
be subject to the rightholders' exclusive rights. Please explain how Article
1334(2) accounts for the rights of authors of works included in a database.
Paragraph 2 of Article 1334 stipulates that exclusive
rights of the preparer of a database are recognized and are effective
regardless of the rights of authors of works included in a database.
14. We have numerous questions to help us
understand Section 6 of Chapter 71 and how the rights of a publisher of a
scientific, literary or artistic work differ from the rights of the authors and
the authors' assignees/transferees of those works, as set forth in Chapter 70:
(a) Please explain the relationship between
the publisher protected here and the author/assignees protected in chapter 70.
Specifically, how does this section relate to chapter 70, which gives these
rights to the author and her assignees? Who has the rights to the work, the
author/assignees under chapter 70, or the publisher under Chapter 71?
(b) Article 1337(1) (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 400)
appears to take works out of the public domain and give the publisher exclusive
rights to that work. What works can be removed from the public domain?
(c) Article 1340 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 401)
appears to override the copyright term provided Article 1281 and override any
contract or agreement that an author may have entered with a publisher. Please
explain.
Intellectual Rights to works of scholarship,
literature, or art first made public after their passage into the public domain
are rights neighboring on copyright (neighboring rights) according to Article 1303
of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
Section 6 of Chapter 71 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation dedicated to publisher's right to works of Scholarship,
Literature and Art.
According to Article 1337 CC RF publisher is the
citizen who lawfully made public or organized the making public of a work of
scholarship, literature, or art previously not made public and that has gone
into the public domain (Article 1282 CC RF) or that is in the public domain by
virtue of the fact that it is not protected by copyright.
Author or other person with author's consent have the
right to make the work public according to Article 1268 of the Civil Code of
the Russian Federation. In this case if author during the life did not made
public his work himself or not gave consent to do such actions to other person
(also in case if author did not lived any prohibition during his life) than
such work may be made public by author's successor during the period of
validity of exclusive right to work.
Upon the expiration of the time period of effectiveness
of the exclusive right, a work including previously unpublished, shall enter
the public domain and may be used freely by any person without any consent or
permission and without payment of author's compensation in accordance with
Article 1282 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
For purpose of making public of previously unpublished
works Division 6 of Chapter 71 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation
provides other persons possibility to make public of work after termination of
guarding of exclusive rights in case of absence author's written prohibition
such work.
In this way publisher is not author of work or
successor, he is person who made public work previously unpublished and is
entered the public domain.
Publisher has publisher's exclusive right to work made
public by him and right to indicate his name on exemplar of work made public
and in other cases of use (including translation or other recast of work).
Publisher's exclusive right to work coincides with habitual copyright to use
work in content, only with taking of right to translate, recast and realize an
architectural, designer, town-planning landscape project. In this way publisher
of work may not control of use of work in translated or reprocessed form.
Outside publisher's sphere of control is spreading of
original or exemplars of work are imposed in civil use (principle of depletion
of rights) lawfully.
Publisher's right in the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation is right that not make damage to author's interests and to his
successor. Publisher's right is made to protect the interests of investigator,
allow to reward them for long or perennial search and further to open new
creative results.
Need
to mark that protection of right of persons who make public previously
unpublished works and are entered the public domain are provided in provisions
of Article 4 of Directive of European Union 93/98/EEC of
29/10/1993 harmonizing the term of protection of copyright and certain related
rights, in accordance with it any
person who, after the expiry of copyright protection, for the first time
lawfully publishes or lawfully communicates to the public a previously
unpublished work, shall benefit from a protection equivalent to the economic
rights of the author.
The Civil Code of the Russian Federation establishes
several important requirements about object of publisher's right:
-
It shall be work of scholarship, literature or art;
-
This work shall be recognized as object of
copyright in accordance with acting Russian legislation;
-
It shall not be made public previously;
-
The
work shall not be in state and municipal archives;
-
The
work shall be made public firstly on the territory of the Russian Federation or
beyond the boundaries but by citizen of the Russian Federation.
Replacement of terms in comparison with Article 1281
of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation in Article 1240 indicated do not
happen.
Introduction in Russian legislation of publisher's
rights are stipulate for necessity of cultural development of society in relations
with promulgation of work of Scholarship, Literature and art previously
unpublished that is mean unknown till this event and for encouragement of
persons who made these work are known for society (made them promulgation –
public).
The work which have expired term of exclusive right
enters to the public domain that is mean it may be used freely by any person
without any consent or permission and without payment of author's compensation.
But there is question about possibility to use unknown work is entered to the
public domain.
In case of made public work is entered to the public
domain on the condition that such publishing do not contradict the author's
will, publisher have right to use such work (the publisher's exclusive right)
effective for 25 years counting from January 1 of the year following the year
of publishing, namely to use the work with methods are provided in subpoints
1-8 and 11 of point 2 of Article 1270 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation.
15. We remain concerned that Russian law might
not adequately protect foreign works and related rights, including pre-existing
works and related rights. We have noted that there are numerous provisions
dealing with this issue (Articles 1231, 1256, 1304, 1318, 1321, 1324, 1328 and
1341), but were unable to confirm the required coverage. Some of our concern
may relate to translations issues or to the accuracy of IP/N/RUS/0/2.
Article 1256 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation defines realization of the exclusive right to Works of Scholarship,
Literature, and Art on the territory of the Russian Federation because of
publishing on the territory of the Russian Federation or because of principle
of author's citizenship of such works (or them successor).
Russian legislator proceeds from place of publishing
of work (or his existence in objective form in case of absence of publishing)
to give the exclusive right to work on the territory of the Russian Federation.
In case if work made public on the territory of the
Russian Federation than the exclusive right to such work shall be recognized
for authors (or their legal successors) regardless of their citizenship.
It concerns also cases when work not made public
existing in some objective form on the territory of the Russian Federation.
A work also shall be considered first made public by
publication in the Russian Federation if, in the course of thirty days after
the date of first publication, it was published on the territory of the Russian
Federation.
In case if work made public beyond the boundaries of
the territory of the Russian Federation, need to take by attention author's
citizenship (or his legal successor). If work made public beyond the boundaries
of the territory of the Russian Federation author of work (his legal successor)
being citizen of the Russian Federation, Russian legislator keeps the exclusive
right to work by such persons.
It concerns also cases when work not made public
exists in some objective form beyond the boundaries of the territory of the
Russian Federation at author or his legal successor who are citizens of the
Russian Federation.
In other cases the exclusive right to works made
public or existing in some objective form beyond the boundaries of the Russian
Federation and shall be recognized, in accordance with international treaties
of the Russian Federation, for authors (or their legal successors) who are
citizens of other states. Herewith the time period of the exclusive right
established in the country of origin of the work may not exceeds the time
period of the exclusive right to these works in the Russian Federation. In case
if the time period of the exclusive right in the country of origin of the work
has expired and the exclusive right have entered the public domain than this
work enters the public domain in the Russian Federation too. Moreover primary
rightholder is determined in accordance with a law of state where was happened
a fact which is basis for acquisition of the copyright.
According to point 3 of Article 1304 of the Civil Code
of the Russian Federation the granting on the territory of the Russian
Federation of protection for objects of neighboring rights in accordance with
the international treaties of the Russian Federation shall be conducted in case
if in the country of origin of the work it have not entered the public domain
and have not entered the public domain on the territory of the Russian
Federation.
In other articles of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation Russian legislator proceeds from principle of the citizenship/place
of location or implementation (for the performance are not fixed in phonograms)
/ promulgation (phonograms) on the territory of the Russian Federation aside
from the conditions of the international treaties of the Russian Federation for
granting legal protection to some object of neighboring rights.
16. Please advise which specific Article requires
coverage for:
(a) Authors who are nationals of a Berne country for published
and unpublished works
The rights of the authors, who is a citizen of the
Russian Federation – member of Berne Convention, are protected in accordance
with subpoint 2 of point 1 of Article 1256 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation.
The rights of the authors who are citizens of other
states works of whom made public beyond the boundaries of the territory of the
Russian Federation – member of Berne Convention, are protected on the territory
of the Russian Federation on basis of subpoint 3 of point 1 of Article 1256 of
the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (international-legal criterion) in
accordance with provisions of Berne Convention.
Need to mark that national regime (are provided in
Article 3 of Berne Convention) give the possibility to any citizen's work of
any state who is member of Berne Convention to use protection in all countries
of Berne Union including the Russian Federation.
(b) Authors who are not nationals of a Berne
country for works first published, or published within 30 days, in a Berne
country
The rights of a foreign author who made public his
works on the territory of the Russian Federation – member of Berne Convention
are protected in accordance with subpoint 1 of point 1 and subpoint 2 of
Article 1256 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (criterion of the
place of promulgation of work).
The rights of authors who are citizens of other states who made public works
beyond the boundaries of the territory of the Russian Federation but in country
– member of Berne Convention, are protected on the territory of the Russian
Federation on basis of subpoint 3 of point 1 of Article 1256 of the Civil
Code of the Russian Federation (international-legal criterion) in accordance
with provisions of Berne Convention.
(c) Authors who are not nationals of a Berne
country but who have their habitual residence in a Berne country
The rights of authors who are not
nationals of a Berne country are protected on the territory of the Russian
Federation on basis of subpoint 3 of point 1 of Article 1256 of the Civil Code
of the Russian Federation (international-legal criterion) in accordance with
international treaties of the Russian Federation.
However in indicated cases necessary to pass that in
cases if foreign author made public his work on the territory of the Russian
Federation (or his not made public on the territory of the Russian Federation
work exists in some objective form) he have legal protection in accordance with
point 1 of Article 1256 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
The Russian Federation participated in following
international treaties about copyright: the Universal Copyright Convention on
6th September 1952 (revised in Paris on 24th July 1971), The
Agreement about collaboration in sphere of copyright and related right are
concluded in Moscow at 24th September 1993, Berne Convention for the Protection
of Literary and Artistic Works (in editing Parisian Statement at 24th July
1971) - since 13th March 1995, The World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty on 20th December 1996 – since 2009.
Moreover the Russian Federation as successor of the
USSR is connected two-way international treaties about mutual protection of
copyrights with some states, e.g. with Sweden (15th April 1986), with Armenia
concluded Agreement about mutual protection of copyrights at 25th June 1993.
(d) Authors of an audiovisual works the
maker of which has its headquarters or habitual residence in a Berne country
(e) Authors of works of architecture
constructed in a Berne country or artistic work incorporated in a building or
structure located in a Berne country
Answer to two previous questions: The rights the
indicated category of authors are provided on the territory of the Russian
Federation analogically as for cases are viewed above that is mean on basis of
point 1 of Article 1256 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
Herewith need to keep in mind that in point 3 of
Article 1256 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation are shown a
peculiarities of acting of international-legal criterion on the territory of
the Russian Federation. In indicated quota are shown that author of work or
another primary rightholder is determined by the law of state on what territory
happened fact of acquisition of copyrights at granting the protection to work
on the territory of the Russian Federation in accordance with international
treaties of the Russian Federation. These quota are provided for legislation
about copyright of states where author or primary rightholder is a legal
person.
17. Please confirm that Russian Law provides the
owners of musical compositions a public performance right when that music is
contained in audiovisual works and exhibited in theaters. What provision of the
law provides this right?
According to point 5 of Article 1263 of the Civil Code
of the Russian Federation the composer of created work keeps the exclusive
right to use his work separately from creating film in which composition are
concluded his musical work on condition that such author did not enter (on
basis of Articles 1234 and 1285 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation)
the exclusive right to musical work full to person who organized the creation
of film (the producer – Article 1240 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation).
18. What is the term of protection for
audiovisual works? The authors of the audiovisual work are defined in Article
1263. Is the term of protection 70 years from the death of the last surviving
author under Article 1281 (1)? If not, what Article governs the term of
audiovisual works?
The term of protection for audiovisual work is the
term when the audiovisual work has protection in the territory of the Russian
Federation. The term of protection for audiovisual work is provided in Article
1281 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation according to what the
exclusive right to work created in coauthorship shall be effective for the
whole life of the author outliving the other coauthors plus seventy years,
counting from January 1 of the year following the year of his death.
Moreover the Civil Code of the Russian Soviet
Federative Socialist Republic from 1964 what was acting before Law of the
Russian Federation at 9th July 1993 № 5351-I "About copyright and related
rights" provided legal person's copyright (herewith according to Article
498 of the Civil Code of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from
1964 rights are arisen among legal persons primarily acted in perpetuity; in
case of reorganization of such legal person copyright entered by legal
successor, and in case of liquidation – by state). The copyright of legal
persons what has raised before 3rd August 1993 stops after 70 years since the
date of lawfully made public work, if work unpublished than since day of
creation of work what provided in Article 6 of the Federal Law of the Russian
Federation from 18th December 2006 No. 231-FL "About introduction by
acting Fourth Part of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation".
19. Article 1252.1.4 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 370).
Please clarify what is meant by "non-bona fide acquirer."
In case
of breach of the exclusive right to the results of intellectual activity and to
means of individualization rightholder have right in particular by the
making of demand about the taking of the physical carrier are used or are
destined for fulfillment of breach against the producer, importer, keepers,
carrier, seller, other distributor, or bad faith recipient.
The bad
faith recipient is a person who has acquired (with or without compensation) the
physical carrier for fulfillment of breach from person who had not the right to
alienate it about what acquirer knew or shall be known. Such definition of the
bad faith recipient follows from Article 302 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation.
20. Article 1252.5. Provision allows equipment
and materials used for infringing to be withdrawn from circulation and
destroyed at infringers expense, "except when being subject to be
converted into the revenue of the Russian Federation." In light of Article 46
of the TRIPS Agreement, please explain the scope of this exception, and when it
applies.
According to Article 46 of the TRIPS Agreement the
judicial authorities shall have the authority to order that goods that they
have found to be infringing be, without compensation of any sort, disposed of
outside the channels of commerce in such a manner as to avoid any harm caused
to the right holder, or, unless this would be contrary to existing
constitutional requirements, destroyed. The judicial authorities shall
also have the authority to order that materials and implements the predominant
use of which has been in the creation of the infringing goods be, without
compensation of any sort, disposed of outside the channels of commerce in such
a manner as to minimize the risks of further infringements.
Legislation of the Russian Federation provides quotas
govern that counterfeit copies of works and turn materials and implements the
predominant use of which has been in the creation of the infringing of the
intellectual rights shall be disposed of outside from commerce turn (point 5 of
Article 1252 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).
Indicated actions may be realized by decision of
court. Herewith legislation of the Russian Federation may comprise quotas
allowing to exact to income of state materials and implements the predominant
use of which has been in the creation of the infringing of the intellectual
rights. In particular in cases when introduction in commerce turn such goods is
necessary for public interests, rightholder shall have the right to demand
removal at the expense of the infringer of counterfeit goods, labels, and
packaging of the goods on which an unlawfully used trademark or indication
similar to it to the point of confusion according to point 2 of Article 1515 of
the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. In other words, in cases when goods
on which counterfeit trademark are necessary for state in societal interests
(e.g. on social need to children's community etc.) than counterfeit trademark
are deleted and subject by recovery to income of the Russian Federation.
21. Article 1302 (and Art. 1312) (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2
at 389) The title of this article "Security for a claim in a copyright
violation case," does not seem to match its contents which forbids
"using [counterfeit copies of a work] in civil-law transactions."
Please clarify, because as written it appears that the scope of the article is
much larger than its title.
Article 1302 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation establishes the right of court to forbid a defendant or other person
with respect to whom there are sufficient bases to suppose that he is an
infringer of copyright rights to take specific with the purpose of introducing
into civil commerce copies of a work with respect to which it is supposed that
they are counterfeit.
The court also may impose seizure on all copies of a
work with respect to which it is suspected that they are counterfeit and also
on materials and equipment used or meant for their preparation or reproduction.
In other words Article 1302 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation corresponds to her name (Security for a Claim in Cases on the
Infringement of Copyright) and provides the possibility of application of
security remedy with respect to controversial copies of works and also
corresponding materials and implements.
22. Paragraph 4 of Article 1349 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2).
The Objects of Patent Rights
4.
The following shall not be objects of patent rights:
1)
human cloning techniques;
2)
the techniques for modifying the genetic integrity of human embryo cells;
3)
the uses of human embryos for industrial and commercial purposes;
4)
other developments inconsistent with the public interest and humane and moral
principles.
Does "inconsistent with the
public interest and humane and moral principles" in paragraph (4) have the
same meaning as "protect[ion of] ordre public or
morality" as used in Article 27(2) of the TRIPS Agreement?
23. Paragraph 6 of Article 1349, provides:
6.
No legal protection shall be provided to the following as inventions:
1)
varieties of plants, breeds of animals and the biological methods for producing
them, except for microbiological methods and products produced by such methods;
2)
integrated circuit layout-designs.
(a) Article
27(3)(b) of the TRIPS Agreement requires Members to provide for sui generis
protection for plants, if patents cannot be granted for varieties of plants.
How does the Russian Federation provide protection for plants?
Decree No. 735 of 14/09/2009, the Russian
Federation Government Approving the Regulation on Patent Fees and Other Types
of Fees Related to Plant Variety Patents and State Registration of Agreements
Assigning Exclusive Rights on Plant Variety, is noted, but has this decree been
notified to the WTO?
(b) How
does the Russian Federation provide protection for integrated circuit designs?
Order No. 323 of October 29, 2008 of the Ministry of Education and Science of
Russia (Approving the Administrative Regulations to Govern the Performance by
the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of its
Functions to Process and Examine Applications for the Registration of Topographies
of Integrated Circuits as well as to Grant of Certificates of State
Registration of Topographies of Integrated Circuits in accordance with
Established Procedure) is noted, has this order been notified to the WTO?
Answers for three previous questions.
Paragraph 4 of Article 1349 CC RF as
a whole establishes exclusions from patent rights of solutions contradicting
societal interests and principles of humanity and morality, which are common
exclusions from patent rights. Subparagraphs 1-3 of the abovementioned
paragraph emphasize solutions recognized as subject to exclusion from patent
rights. Similar approach is used on the European Union level: Additional
Protocol on the Prohibition of Cloning Human Beings of 1998 to the Convention
for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard
to the Application of Biology and Medicine of 1997, Directive 98/44/EC.
It should be noted that provisions of 4quarter Article
of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, according to
which "The grant of a patent shall not be refused and a patent shall not
be invalidated on the ground that the sale of the patented product or of a
product obtained by means of a patented process is subject to restrictions or
limitations resulting from the domestic law". Thus limitations or
reductions of sales of a product in which the invention as well as utility
model or industrial design applied for may be embodied, cannot serve as a basis
for the recognition of the object of patent rights applied for as contradicting
societal interests, principles of humanity and morality with the exception of
the cases of direct prohibition of usage (sales) on the territory of the
Russian Federation of such particular product as contradicting societal interests,
principles of humanity and morality. The list of objects in Paragraph 4 of
Article 1349 CC RF includes solutions commercial usage of which shall be
prevented for the sake of public order maintenance and morality protection,
including protection of life and health of the population as well as preventing
extensive damage to the environment.
Seemingly provisions of Paragraph 4 of Article 1349 CC
RF imply the same meaning as provisions of TRIPS Article 27(2).
Paragraph 6 of Article 1350 CCR F (in the question
Article 1349 was named mistakenly): Legal protection as inventions shall not be
granted to: varieties of plants, breeds of animals and biological methods of
obtaining them, with the exception of microbiological methods and products
obtained through the use of such methods; the topology of integrated circuits.
Such objects are recognized as independent result of intellectual activity
(Paragraph 1 of Article 1225 CC RF) and are provided by CCRF with a separate ("special"»)
legal protection.
Legal protection of varieties of plants and breeds of
animals is granted by Chapter 73 CC RF as to achievements of breeding.
Legal protection of integrated circuit layouts is
explained in Chapter 74 CC RF. CC RF retains the principles of protection and
use of integrated circuit layouts established in Law of Russian Federation №
3526-I d.d. 23.09.1992 "On legal protection of topology of integrated
circuits" in force prior to Part 4 CC RF. The legal protection granted by
the present Code shall extend only to an original integrated circuit layout
created as the result of the creative activity of an author and/or specialists
unknown to the author in the area of integrated circuit layout development on
the date of its creation (Paragraph 2 of Article 1448 CC RF).
According to Article 1452 CC RF the rightholder,
during the time period of effectiveness of the exclusive right to the layout
may at his option register the layout with the Federal agency of executive
authority for intellectual property. The rules of such optional state
registration of topology of integrated circuits are determined by the
Administrative Rules of Procedure of execution by the Federal agency of
executive authority for intellectual property, patents and trademarks functions
of receiving applications for state registration of topology of integrated
circuits and of their consideration and issuance in accordance with the
established procedure of a certificate on state registration of an integrated
circuit layout, approved by Order № 323 d.d. 29.10.2008 of the Ministry of
Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
24. Article 1359 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2). Actions Not
Deemed an Infringement of the Exclusive Right to an Invention, Utility Model or
Industrial Design
The following are not deemed an infringement of
the exclusive right to an invention, utility model or industrial design:
2) the carrying out of scientific research of a
product or method in which the invention or utility model is used or of
scientific research of an article in which the industrial design is used or the
carrying out of an experiment in respect of such product, method or article;
Would experiments using protected
inventions or designs to experiment on other things infringe a protected
invention or design? For example, if a medical instrument is patented or
protected as an industrial design, would use of a copy of that instrument in
medical testing infringe the patent or industrial design right?
25. Article 1359, continues, providing:
3) the using
of the invention, utility model or industrial design in emergency circumstances
(natural calamities, disasters, accidents), with the patent holder being
notified of this use as soon as possible and with commensurate compensation
being paid henceforth to the patent holder;
According to Article 31(a) of the
TRIPS Agreement, each use without authorization of the rights holder shall be
considered on its individual merits. Furthermore, Article 31(b) of the TRIPS
Agreement clarifies that the requirement to make reasonable efforts to obtain
permission may be waived by a Member if certain conditions apply. How does
Article 1359 provide for a decision on a
case by case basis?
26. Article 1359, continues, providing in
paragraph 4:
4)
which provides the use of the invention, utility model or industrial design for
meeting personal, family, household or other needs other than entrepreneurial
activity, unless profit-making or making earnings is the purpose of the use;
This provision may conflict with
a normal exploitation of the patent and encroach on the legitimate interests of
the patent owner, where the invention or design is intended for household use.
Please explain how the provision addresses these concerns.
Answers for three previous questions.
Paragraph 2 of Article 1359 CC RF: the conduct of
scientific study of a product or method in which the invention or utility model
is utilized, or scientific study of a manufacture in which an industrial design
is utilized or the conduct of an experiment on such a product, method, or
manufacture; thus third parties without infringing the exclusive right can only
study a patented object, but cannot utilize it as a mean o conducting a
research.
Not considered as infringing the exclusive right: the
conduct of scientific study of a product or method in which the invention or
utility model is utilized, or scientific study of a manufacture in which an
industrial design is utilized or the conduct of an experiment on such a
product, method, or manufacture. This rule allows any person to make sure of
the actual properties and characteristics declared in the description to the
patent or in the rightholder's advertisement prior to contacting the
rightholder and only after doing so to make a decision on reasonability of
entering negotiations with the rightholder on purchasing the right of use of
the invention.
This only refers to experiment or scientific research
conducted on the patented product, method or manufacture themselves but not to
experiment or scientific research conducted with their help. Thus the
abovementioned rule does not imply commercialization of a patent-protected
invention during the conduction of scientific experiment on an object
containing the invention by third parties.
Paragraph 3 of Article 1359 CC RF: Not considered as
infringing the exclusive right: the utilization of an invention, utility model,
or industrial design in extraordinary circumstances (natural disasters,
catastrophes, accidents) with notification of this use to the patent holder as
soon as possible and with subsequent payment to him of proportionate
compensation. The legislator does not limit scope of persons authorized to
utilize patented objects without rightholder's pemit should the abovementioned
circumstances arise, however such persons shall notify the rightholder about
the utilization as soon as possible with subsequent payment to him of
proportionate compensation.
This exclusion from the exclusive rights of a patent
holder is attributed to the importance of an urgent use of an invention in
public interest in case of extraordinary circumstances which should the
necessity of preventing or recovering the consequences of natural disasters,
catastrophes and other accidents. Also this exclusion from the exclusive rights
concerns only extraordinary circumstances and does not extend to other
accidents and disasters. Extraordinary circumstances are declared by public
authorities of a particular country or by international organizations providing
aid in such circumstances.
However the patent holder shall be notified of such
use as soon as possible with subsequent payment of proportionate compensation
to him. That regulation corresponds with Article 31 of the TRIPS Agreement.
Russian jurisdiction lacks precedents on that matter at present. Also the
legislator does not determine notification procedure of the patent holder of
such use of an invention, utility model, or industrial design and does not
declare neither the way of paying the compensation nor its time limitations.
Paragraph 4 of Article 1359 CC RF: Not considered as
infringing the exclusive right: the utilization of an invention, utility model,
or industrial design for the satisfaction of personal, family, home, or other
needs not connected with entrepreneurial activity if the purpose of such
utilization is not the receipt of profit or income. As defined in
Paragraph 1 of Article 2 CC RF business activity shall be an independent
activity, performed at one's own risk, aimed at systematically deriving a
profit from the use of the property, the sale of commodities, the performance
of work or the rendering of services by the persons, registered in this
capacity in conformity with the law-established procedure. Also a citizen,
engaged in business activities without forming a legal entity with the violation
of the requirements of Item 1 of the present Article, shall have no right to
refer, with respect to the deals he has thus effected, to the fact that he is
not a businessman. That means that the primary criteria of an activity not
recognized as infringing exclusive rights is it being non profit-seeking.
Thus the legislator protects the interests of those
members of society who use the patented object without gains.
For example, a person can legally assemble and use a
fishing tent the patent on which is held by another person, moreover the
person's family and friends can also use the tent. However, selling such tent,
even secondhand, with profit shall be recognized as infringement of the
exclusive right of the patent holder.
When applying Article 1359 CC RF one should bear in
mind that according to Paragraph 5 of Article 1229 CC RF the limitations on
exclusive rights to results of intellectual activity are established on the
condition that they do not cause unjustified harm to the ordinary use of the
results of intellectual activity or means of individualization and do not
impair in an unjustified manner the lawful interests of the rightholders.
27. Article 1360 (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2). Using an Invention, Utility Model
or Industrial Design in the Interests of National Security
In the interests of national
security the Government of the Russian Federation is entitled to permit the use
of an invention, utility model or industrial design without the consent of the
patent holder, with the patent holder being notified as soon as possible and
with a commensurate compensation being paid to the patent holder.
According to Article 31 of the
TRIPs Agreement, each use without authorization of the rights holder shall be
considered on its individual merits. Please explain how this Article addresses
consideration on the individual merits.
Also, the term "National Security" appears overbroad and not
well defined. Was "national emergency or other circumstances of extreme
urgency" intended?
Article 1360 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation regulates relationships about use of an Invention, Utility Model, or
Industrial Design in the Interests of National Security. According to this
Article the Interests of National Security are interests of defense and
security. In conformity with Item 1 of Article 1 of the Federal Law №61-FZ of
31st May 1996 "About Defense" the Defense is system of politic,
economic, military, social, legal and other measures for preparation by armed
protection and armed protection of the Russian Federation, integrality and
untouchability of the territory. In conformity with Item 6 of the Strategy of
National Security of the Russian Federation until 2020 ratified by Decree of
President of the Russian Federation №537 of 12 May 2009 a notion "National
Security" is condition of security of personality, society and state from
home and foreign threats what give to secure constitutional the rights,
freedoms, worthy quality and standard of living of citizens, sovereignty,
territorial integrality and stable development of the Russian Federation, the
defense and security of the state. In conformity with Article 1 of the Federal
Law №390-FZ of 28th 2010 "About Security" the main
subjects of guarantee of security are federal state authorities, state
authorities of subjects of the Russian Federation, municipal authorities in
range of security and the Security Council of the Russian Federation also.
According to Article 1360 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation in the interests of national security the Government of the
Russian Federation as an executive authority assignee to ensure the security is
entitled to permit the use of an invention, utility model or industrial design.
That is mean the legislator has endowed the Government of the Russian
Federation the right to give to other persons right to use patented Invention,
Utility Model or Industrial Design in certain conditions and without the
consent of the patent holder. Herewith the legislator has established that the
patent holder may be notified about use of his invention, utility model or industrial
design as soon as possible and with payment of proportionate compensation to
him. But Article 1360 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation do not define
an order and term of notification by patent holder about use of invention,
utility model or industrial design and does not provide a method of calculation
of compensation.
28. Article 1362 (IP/N/1/RUS/0/2 at 408): The Compulsory License for an Invention, Utility Model or Industrial Design
1.
If an invention or industrial design is not used or is insufficiently used by
the patent holder within four years after the issuance of the patent, and a
utility model within three years… or industrial design -- if the patent holder
refuses to conclude a licence contract with this person on terms meeting the
prevailing practices -- is entitled to file a claim with the court …..
In paragraph 1, does "terms
meeting the prevailing practices" have the same meaning as
"reasonable commercial terms" as used in Article 31(b) of the TRIPS
Agreement?
29. The article also provides "A compulsory simple
(non-exclusive) licence may be terminated in a judicial procedure at a claim of
the patent holder, if the circumstances due to which the licence has been
issued are no longer existing and it is unlikely that they are going to appear
again. In this case the court shall establish a term and procedure for
termination of the compulsory simple (non-exclusive) licence and of the rights
that have come into being due to the receipt of the licence."
Article 31(c) of the TRIPS
Agreement states that the scope and duration of such use shall be limited to
the purpose for which it was authorized. This article appears to require the
patent holder to sue for termination of the compulsive license. Is this
correct?
30. Furthermore, the article provides "If the patent holder
having an exclusive right to such dependent invention manages to prove that it
is an important technical achievement and that is has significant economic
advantages over the invention or utility model of the holder of the first
patent, the court shall take a decision on granting a compulsory simple
(non-exclusive) licence thereto. The right of using the invention protected by
the first patent obtained under such licence shall not be assigned to other
persons, except for the case of alienation of the second patent."
Article 31(l)(ii) of the TRIPS
Agreement provides conditions for when a patent owner is entitled to a cross
license. Please explain how this situation is addressed in the Russian system.
31. Article
1362, compulsory licenses. This article makes the provisions of compulsory
licenses equally applicable to industrial designs as patents, and results in
compulsory licensing (forfeiture) of rights if the patented invention or design
is not used or worked within a set time. Paris Convention Article 5(B) provides
that the protection of industrial designs, "shall not, under any
circumstances be subject to any forfeiture, either by reason of failure to work
or by reason of importation of articles corresponding to those which are
protected." Article 2(1) of the TRIPS Agreement requires compliance with
Article 5, among other parts, of the Paris Convention. Please explain how
Article 1362 addresses the requirements of Article 5(B) of the Paris
Convention.
32. Finally, as to Article 1362, Articles 31 (i) and (j)of the TRIPS
Agreement requires that judicial review by a distinct higher authority be
available. How does the Russian Federation provide for such judicial review?
Answers for five previous questions.
Article 1362 of the Civil Code of the Russian
Federation is devoted to detailed regulation of questions of the compulsory licensing. Quotas regulating the Compulsory licensing are founded on the provisions of the Paris
Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Article 5 item A(2)) and
the TRIPS Agreement (Articles 31 and 40).
Semantic maintenance of the notion "conditions
corresponding to established practice" is used in Article 1362 of the Civil
Code of the Russian Federation and the notion "reasonable
commercial conditions" is used in Article 31(b) of the TRIPS Agreement
are same.
In case of insufficient using of invention or industrial
design during four years since the date of granting of the patent or utility model
– during three years since the date of granting of the patent and a patent
holder's refusal to conclude license contract with an interested person on
conditions corresponding to established practice, this person shall have the
right to go to court with a suit against the patent holder for the granting of
a compulsory simple licence (non-exclusive license) for the use of an
invention, utility model, or industrial design. In the demand in the lawsuit,
the interested person must indicate the proposed the terms of a license,
including the scope and the conditions of use of the patented object, the
amount, procedure, and times of payments. The court makes decision about the granting
of the compulsory license if the patent holder does not show that nonuse or
insufficient use of the patented object is based on valid causes. All cases of
using of the patented object are defined in the court decision. The rights
which are is provided in conformity with the compulsory license may not be
transferred to third persons.
If the circumstances that were the basis for the
granting of simple (nonexclusive) license cease to exist and their reappearance
is unlikely, then acting of the Compulsory license may be terminated by
judicial procedure on a suit by the patent holder. This quota corresponds to
Article 31(c) of the TRIPS Agreement. A duty of proof of absence a/n
circumstance is encharged to patent holder. In this case the term and procedure
of termination of distributed license and termination of right is arised with
getting of this license are established by court.
Article 31(I)(ii) of the TRIPS Agreement foresees a
"cross license". Analogous quota is contained in item 2 of Article
1362 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Present item establishes
rules for situation when the using of one patented Invention is connected with
the using of other patented Invention or patented Utility Model. If other
person have the patent to this other Invention or Utility Model than using of
first patented Invention needs to get a permission from other patent holder. In
case of refusal of other patent holder to get license, first patent holder
shall have the right to go to court with a suit for the granting of the
Compulsory license. Observation of conditions "an important technical
achievement" and "a significant economic advantage" is directed
to protection of hindering patent holder's interests and this quota provides
some balance of interests of both patent holders and the society in full so
long as the society interested in creation of an important technical
achievement, patenting them and use. In case of the granting the Compulsory license
by court decision second patent holder acquires the right to get from second
patent holder analogous license to such Invention for procuring of use which is
provided the Compulsory license. Necessary to mark that positions in this item
do not provide a possibility to demand a submitting the Compulsory license for
procuring of possibility to use patented Utility Model. Such limitation
stipulated for the fact that the patent to Utility Model is distributed without
a verification of her patentability.
The provisions of Article 1362 of the Civil Code of
the Russian Federation about the Compulsory licensing in case of insufficient
use the Industrial Design during forth years do not contradict to Article 5(B)
of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property so long as
the submitting of the Compulsory license to patented Industrial Design does not
mean a cessation of his legal protection.
A reconsideration of court decisions is realized in
conformity with the Civil Procedural code of the Russian Federation and the
Arbitration Procedural code of the Russian Federation.
The procedure of reconsideration of court decisions
about the Compulsory licensing on basis of Article 1362 of the Civil Code of
the Russian Federation is provided in procedural legislation.
33. Article
1508: (IP/N/1/RUS/0/2 at 463): Article 1508 (1) states that a trademark may be
considered generally-recognized in the Russian Federation as the result of
intensive use. Can the GOR clarify whether "intensive use" includes
knowledge in the Russian Federation which has been obtained as a result of the
promotion of the trademark?
The main conditions for an acknowledgement of
designation as generally known in the Russian Federation trademark are his
intensive use, wide known of this designation in the Russian Federation among
the corresponding consumers, and wide known with respect to goods
of person who think his trademark is generally known (Article 1508 of the Civil
Code of the Russian Federation).
The intensity of use is estimated proceeding from
concrete situation, kind of trademark, goods and amount of advertising
campaign, speed of mastering of market and other factors.
For confirmation of the intensive use of trademark on
the territory of the Russian Federation may be shown in particular: date of
starting of use the trademark, the list of populated locality where realization
of goods are marked with trademark is made, the amount of realization these
goods, methods of use the trademark, average annual amount of consumers of
good, position of manufacturer on the market in certain economic sector etc.;
countries where trademark have wide known, the expenditure to advertisement of
trademark (e.g. annual financial reports), cost (value) of trademark in
conformity with data in annual financial reports, the results of interrogation
of consumers in question of generally-known of trademark is produced by
specialized independent organization.
34. Article
1515 Second sentence (IP/N/1/RUS/O/2 at 466): "If the placing of the goods
in transactions is required for the public interest the right holder is
entitled to demand removal at the infringer's expense of the illegally used
trademark...." The provision appears to allow for a broad exception.
Article 46 of the TRIPS Agreement allows for the removal of infringing marks
only in "exceptional circumstances." (Article 46 of the TRIPs
Agreement: "In regard to counterfeit trademark goods, the simple removal
of the trademark unlawfully affixed shall not be sufficient, other than in
exceptional cases, to permit release of the goods into the channels of
commerce.") Please explain how proposed Article 1515, which allows for
removal of infringing marks for claims of "public interest,"
addresses Article 46 of the TRIPS Agreement.
Article 46 "Other Remedies" of the TRIPS
Agreement provides that the simple removal of the trademark unlawfully affixed
shall not be sufficient, other than in exceptional cases, to permit release of
the goods into the channels of commerce.
Part 2 of Article 1515 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation corresponds to shown provision of the TRIPS. In conformity
with this Article two main methods of protection to trademark are provide:
-
The
rightholder's demand of removal from commerce and destruction of counterfeit
goods on which an unlawfully used indication;
-
The
payment of compensation instead of indemnity of damage.
The possibility of presentation of demand about
removal of indication is exception from the general rule and it may be shown
instead of demand about removal from commerce and destruction of counterfeit
goods, and in case only when "the introduction of such goods into commerce
is necessary in societal interests". Herewith there is talk about valid
social significancy of the introduction of certain kind of good in civil
commerce and about possible negative consequence of destruction for customers
what will have make a breach of social interest (e.g. foodstuffs).
Other laws (which seem not to have yet been
notified)
35. Article
18.6 of the Law on Circulation of Medicines (as last amended on June 25, 2012)
states: "The results of the nonclinical trials of medicinal products and
clinical trials of medicinal products submitted by the applicant for state
registration of the medicinal products shall not be obtained, disclosed, used
for commercial purposes and for purposes of state registration without
applicant's permission within six years from the date of the state registration
of the medicinal product. Violation of the prohibition specified by this Clause
shall entail the responsibility in accordance with the legislation of the
Russian Federation. The circulation of medicines in the Russian Federation
registered with violation of this Clause shall be prohibited."
How this provision is
implemented? Is the six-year term of protection in force? Are there any
implementing regulations that would explain (1) what procedures the MOH would
follow in order to protect originator's data from both disclosure and from
reliance by generic companies and (2) what procedures would generic companies
follow to obtain state registration for medical products. Please explain the relationship of Article
18.6 with Article 26 of the same law, which allows for the accelerated review
of the marketing authorization applications for generic drugs.
Article 18 of Federal law FZ-61d.d. 12.04.2010 has
been complemented with section 7 of the following content: «It prohibited to
receive, disclose, commercially use and use for state registration any
information on non-clinical research of medical products and clinical research
of medical products, provided by the applicant for state registration of
medical products without their permission for six years since the date of state
registration of a medical product.
Non-observance of the prohibition stated by the
abovementioned section entails amenability in compliance with laws of the
Russian Federation.
Turnover of medical products registered with violation
of this section on the territory of the Russian Federation is illegal»
The abovementioned section applies after 22 August
2012.
To observe requirements of Section 7 of Article 18 and
prevent violations of exclusive rights of developers of medical products the
Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in its draft bill «On amendments
to Federal law «On turnover of medical products» and to article 333.32.1 of
part two of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation» made an amendment to the
composition of the registration dossier (article 18, section 3) by including
documents that verify:
"12) presence of intellectual
rights
13) presence of consent of an
applicant of an original medical product to use information about results of
non-clinical and clinical researches of the original medical product in case
less than six years has passed since the registration of the original medical
product."
Article 26 FZ-61 d.d.12.04.2010 «On turnover of
medical products» applies only to urgent production of experts evidence but not
to urgent registration. Since rapid production of experts evidence may be
applied to reproduced medical products provision of information obtained during
non-clinical and clinical researches of the original medical product and
published in specialized publications is possible during such procedure if the
original medical product is not covered by patent protection.
At the same time the Russian Federation according to
the Doha Declaration (on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health) of 2001 in
which a concern about the impact of intellectual property rights on medical
products prices was expressed and ultimately reserves the right to consider
applying Article 8 of the TRIPS Agreement in terms of implementing the right to
health, which states that during drafting or amending of national laws or
regulations member-states can take measures necessary in protecting
population's health, as well as Article 30 of the TRIPS agreement which
contemplates some exclusions from exclusive rights granted by patents while
barring unjustified limitations of rights of patent-holders and third parties.
Particularly the right to «early usage» does not contradict this article (the
so-called Bolar provisions) which allows generic drugs producers to conduct all
the procedures and trials necessary to registration of a generic drug before
patent to the original drug expires (or exclusive research data regulations).
As a result they are guaranteed the possibility of entering generic product to
the market right after the stated period has expired.
Actually a series of amendments in the Law on
Circulation of Medicines N61 is considered by the Government.
4.2 Responses to Follow-Up Questions[7]
Follow-Up
to Question 1: We would like to confirm our understanding of
your response: Article 1232 does not apply to works protected by copyright and
related rights, and that although certain types of copyrighted works may
register under this Article (i.e. computer programs and databases), such
registration is voluntary and not required to receive copyright protection. The
phrase "means of individualization" is used a few times throughout this
document and we would appreciate an explanation, perhaps just in different
words, of what this phrase means. We imagine it may be simply a translation
issue and may relate to original authorship but would be grateful for
clarification.
We confirm that the provisions of the Article 1232 of the Civil Code of
the Russian Federation do not apply to works, protected by copyright and
related rights. Regarding such copyright objects as computer programs and
databases state registration is conducted at the option of the right holder and
may be made at the Patent Office. Such registration is voluntary. Computer
programs and databases are copyright-protected regardless of the fact that the
registration has been made or not by the right holder (subparagraph 2 paragraph
4 of Article 1259 and paragraph 1 of Article 1262 of the Civil Code of the
Russian Federation (hereinafter - CC RF)).
The term "means of individualization" is used in the CC RF as
generalized and systematic (paragraph 1 of Article 2; Article 128; paragraph 4
of Article 129; paragraph 1 of Article 1225 of the CC RF etc.). It includes
types of an intellectual property intended for individualization of legal
entities, goods, works, services and enterprises.
Means of individualization include:
(1) Trade
names
(2) Trade
marks and service marks
(3) Appellations
of origin
(4) Commercial
names
The means of individualization are
described in chapter 76 of the CC RF.
Follow-Up to Question 2: We would like clarification regarding the first concern
raised: Can an author provide an exclusive license limited to only one right
(i.e., reproduction) and maintain ownership of the other exclusive rights? And
could you confirm that there is no requirement to register a transfer or
assignment of exclusive copyright rights? We understand your last paragraph
here to mean that Article 1234 does not apply to works protected by copyright
or related rights; and that "result of intellectual activity" is a
patent-related activity or other non-copyright activity. Is that correct?
Yes, an author can provide an exclusive
license limited to only one right (i.e., reproduction) and maintain ownership
of the other exclusive rights.
For example, the author of the literary composition can provide an
editor with an exclusive license to reproduction and distribution of the copies, while
maintaining other rights (particularly the right to the translation into other
languages, film right, stage right and right to bringing to the public etc.).
We confirm that that there is no requirement to
register a transfer or assignment of exclusive copyright and related rights.
A state registration of an exclusive copyright
transfer is required only in case when a computer program or database has been
registered at the wish of the right holder at the Patent Office. Such
registration is required only in case of alienation of an exclusive copyright
for computer program or database, or in case of an exclusive copyright transfer
under the procedure of universal legal succession (inheritance, legal entity reorganization).
A state registration of a license contract for such computer program is not
required.
Article 1234 of the CC RF establishes general rules
regarding the contract on the exclusive right alienation as special type of
civil law contract. This article applies to all the law-protected types of
intellectual property, including copyright and related rights objects. A
question of a state registration of an exclusive copyright alienation
(paragraph 2 of Article 1234) shall be resolved pursuant to the paragraph 2 of
Article 1234 of the CC RF. It provides that a state registration of an
exclusive copyright transfer or assignment is required only in case when
according to the law an exclusive right arises on the ground of mandatory state
registration. An exclusive right for copyright and related rights objects
arises from the moment of its creation. The registration of the copyright and
related rights objects or compliance with other formalities is not required for
origin, realization and protection of the copyright and related rights
(paragraph 4 of Article1259 and paragraph 2 of Article 1304 of the CC RF). The
requirements of the paragraph 2 of Article 1234 regarding state registration
are not applied to the exclusive copyright and related rights alienation contracts (except for contracts of alienation
of exclusive right for a registered computer program or database – paragraph 5
of Article 1262 of the CC RF).
The term "the results of intellectual
activity", is used in the CC RF as generalized and systematic as well as
term "means of individualization" (paragraph 1 of Article 2; Article
128; paragraph 4 of Article 129; paragraph 1 of Article 1225 of
the CC RF etc.). Results of intellectual activity includes objects of copyright
and related rights, inventions, utility models, industrial designs, breeding
achievements, topographies of integrated circuits, secrets of production
(know-how).
Follow-Up
to Question 3: We would like to confirm our understanding of
your response: is it true that, like Article 1234, Article 1235 does not apply
to works protected by copyright and related rights?
No. Article 1234 and Article 1235 of the CC RF are
located in Chapter 69 «General provisions» and thus apply to all the objects of
intellectual property, including works protected by copyright.
Follow-Up
to Question 4: Paragraph 3 of Article 14bis
of the Berne Convention provides that "unless the national legislation
provides to the contrary, the provisions of paragraph (2)(b) above shall not be
applicable to authors of scenarios, dialogues and musical works created for the
making of the cinematographic work, or to the principal director thereof."
Does Article 1240 or another Article of Russian law provide that the provisions
of Berne Article 14bis be applied
to authors of scenarios, dialogues and musical works created for the making of
the cinematographic work? We would also like clarification of how Article 1240
impacts an author's contract with a film producer. In other words, could you
describe what rights an author retains in his work when that work is part of a
film? And could you specify where those rights are provided for in Russian law?
For example, can an author's contract maintain some rights, such as the right
of public performance?
The provisions of paragraph (2)(b) of the Article 14bis
of the Berne Convention are provided by the Articles 1240 and 1263 of the CC
RF.
Under paragraph 2 of Article 1263 of the CC RF the authors of an
audiovisual work are:
(1) the
director
(2) the
author of the script
(3) the composer being the author of a musical work (with or without a
text) specifically created for the audiovisual work
If an author of the film (a producer) makes contracts with these three
persons on the alienation of theirs exclusive rights, the exclusive right on
film will transfer to him in general. The other authors of the works that are
incorporated in an audiovisual work, either existing before (the author of the
work that underlies the script, and others) or created in the course of working
on it (photography director, art director and others) have their exclusive
rights to their works (but not to a film in general). These rights shall be
also acquired by a film producer on the grounds of a contract.
Article 1240 of the CC RF establishes that if an object of intellectual
property is created specially to be included in the film, such contract shall
be deemed an exclusive right alienation contract, except as otherwise envisaged
by agreement of the parties. Thus, this rule applies to all three authors of a film
(paragraph 2 of Article 1263 of the CC RF), and to any other authors, whose
works have been specially created for this film (for example to a dialogues
author, art director, photography director).
The transfer of an exclusive right from an author to a producer is a
subject to the contract. Under paragraph 1 of Article 1240 of the CC RF this
contract is considered as an exclusive right alienation contract. This
provision is defined as dispositive, so the parties of a contract have a choice
to conclude a license contract or an exclusive right alienation contract.
Paragraph 2 of Article 1240 of the CC RF provides that the terms of a
license contract are invalid when they limits the use of the intellectual
property when this property is a part of a complex work. This rule reflects the
content of Article 14bis of the
Berne Convention as it aimed to prevent the refusal of an author to entitle a
person who has created a complex object (inter alia, a producer) to use his
works which are necessary to dispose the rights to use complex works in
general.
So, director, author of the script, composer, dialogue writer and any
other person who created a work specifically for its use in a film in
accordance with Article 1240 of the CC RF are covered by a general rule of
para.2(b) Article 14bis of the
Berne Convention which complies with a provision of paragraph 3 Article 14bis of the Berne Convention which allows to establish in
national legislation the rules which are different from those set in paragraph
2(b) of the named Article.
The list of rights conferred to authors of any copyright objects is
contained in paragraph 2 of Article 1270 of the CC RF. If the contract on the
alienation of the exclusive right is concluded, all the rights conferred to
authors entirely transfer to a producer. Exception to this rule is the right of
a composer for «a fair compensation» for use of his work as a part of an
audiovisual work which is charged when this audiovisual work is publicly
performed and also when it is broadcasted or cable transmitted (paragraph 3 of
Article 1263 of the CC RF). Composer reserves this right even it has been
alienated unless otherwise is expressly provided by his contract with a
producer.
Entering into a license contract the parties establish themselves a list
of rights which are transferred from an author to a producer for using its
work. However, this list cannot be narrower than it is necessary for a film use
in general (paragraph 2 of Article 1240 of the CC RF). Since a producer needs a
right of pubic performance in order to use the film in general, this right
could not be reserved by the author.
Follow-up to Question 6: In the second paragraph, could you further explain the
different actions one must take to transfer or assign ownership depending on whether
a computer program or database is registered or unregistered?
In
accordance with paragraph 5 of Article 1262 of the CC RF contracts for the
alienation of the exclusive right to a registered computer program or database
as well as the transfer of the exclusive right to such a program or database to
other persons without a contract shall be subject to state registration.
In accordance with Article 1241 of the CC RF the transfer of an
exclusive right to a registered computer program or database to another person
without a conclusion of a contract with the right holder is admissible in the
cases and on the grounds established by law, for instance, in line of universal
succession (inheritance, the reorganization of a legal entity) and in the event
of the levy of execution on the right holder's property.
The license contracts on the granting of the right to use registered
computer programs and databases are not required to be registered.
Regarding unregistered computer programs and databases there is no requirement
to register transfer or granting the rights to such programs and databases.
Follow-Up
to Question 7: Is there
1) a limit on the number of copies that can be made by an individual as a free
reproduction under Article 1273, and/or 2) a requirement that such copies be
made from a lawfully acquired copy of the work? And in reference to your
penultimate paragraph, we do not see a definition of "household"
within the civil code; is this meant to be understood as one's immediate family
(as opposed to a dormitory housing fifty students, for example)
1) The CC RF doesn't contain any indications on a limit on a number of
copies that can be made by an individual as a free reproduction. However, the
CC RF clearly defines boundaries within which an individual is entitled to make
a free copy of the work:
Firstly, subparagraph 2, paragraph 5 of Article 1229 of the CC RF
stipulates that the provided cases of free reproduction for personal use should
not cause unjustified harm to the ordinary use of the results of intellectual
activity and impair in an unjustified manner the lawful interests of the right
holders.
Secondly, paragraph 1 of Article 1273 of the CC RF states that the free
reproduction is limited to a necessity of an individual and exclusively for personal
purposes, which Article 1273 defines as the subsequent non-commercial use of
such copy in order to satisfy personal needs or the needs of its family.
2)
In accordance with Article 1273 of the CC RF only legally promulgated works may
be subject to free reproduction for personal purposes.
Highest judicial bodies of the Russian Federation - the Supreme Court of
the Russian Federation and the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian
Federation – also indicate such matter by stipulating in the paragraph 34 of
the Resolution of Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation No.5,
Resolution of Plenum of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation
No.29 dated on 26 March 2009 «On certain issues arisen in connection with
coming into effect of the Part IV of the Civil code of the Russian Federation»,
that while applying the Article 1273 of the CC RF, the courts should take into
consideration the fact, that the reproduction should not be considered as a
violation of the exclusive rights for reproduction only if at the moment of
making the copy the work itself is used legitimately.
Thus, reproduction, made with counterfeit copies of work or at unlawful
bringing the work to the public (including the unlawful placement on the
Internet) shall be considered as a violation of the exclusive rights to the
work.
The term «household» is taken not from the CC RF, and was used in our
explanation to describe «the use for personal proposes».
Follow-Up
to Question 9: We remain concerned that this exception might
be broader than the 3-step test permits and would like clarification. For
example, would a non-profit entity be able to use this exception to reproduce a
work in dot-relief type (which we understand to be Braille) when the copyright
owner has made the work available in dot-relief type?
No, it wouldn't. If the author published the work in dot-relief type or
in any other special type intended for persons with visual impairment, the
provisions of the subparagraph 6 paragraph 1 of Article 1274 of the CC RF are
not applied. If the work was published for the first time in a legal way in any
other type (not in a special type), it may be used in special type by any
person in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph 6, paragraph1 of
Article 1274 of the CC RF.
Follow-Up
to Question 10: We are not concerned about the ability to provide exceptions for the
purposes of parody and caricatures; rather, we remain concerned about the
breadth of the specific exception itself. Is this exception limited to taking
only the portion of the work necessary for the purposes of the parody? In other
words, we are interested in how the parody exception itself complies with the
three-step test.
It would be rather difficult to formulate such provisions in a law. For
example, paragraph 4 of Article L122-5 of French Intellectual Property Code
does not contain any details regarding the possible scope of work use for the
purposes of a parody creation. These questions are resolved by a judicial
practice. The courts are also guided by three-step test.
In the ruling of the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the
Russian Federation dated 11 November 2013 № 5861/13 on a claim of "Pervoe
muzykalnoe izdatelstvo" (English: "First music publishing
company"), LLC to "MTF Production", LLC to recover a
compensation for violation of exclusive rights for a musical work with lyrics,
the Court satisfied claims of the plaintiff and reversed a judgments of courts
of inferior jurisdiction. The Supreme Arbitration Court specified that the
courts of inferior jurisdiction considered the music video as a subject of
parody but did not take into account that it was accompanied with the music
works which had not been arranged for parody. So, since music works themselves
were not subjects of parody, it was necessary to obtain the permission for
their use and it means that exclusive rights for these works were infringed. It
seems that such ruling of the court shows that judicial practice forms a right
approach to such adjudgements.
Follow-Up
to Question 13: This
answer seems to indicate that this Article impermissibly usurps the exclusive
rights of the authors whose works are incorporated into a database. Please
explain how Article 1334(2) accounts for the rights of authors of works
included in a database.
Wording of a paragraph 2 of Article 1334 of the CC RF provides only that
related rights arising for author of a database, whose creation requires
significant financial, material, organizational or other costs, regarding the
retrieval of data from such database don't affect copyrights on data, which
constitutes this database, itself and also copyrights of author of such
database. For example, similar provision is contained in paragraph 4 of Article
1260 of the CC RF. This rule allows to consider exclusive rights for works from
a database and rights for a database in general as separate, not creating a
co-authorship, not absorbing each other, requiring the protection individually.
Rights of the authors of materials included into the database are protected
under paragraph 3 of Article 1260 of the CC RF, which states that any
author of derivative or complied work (database is considered as a complied
work – paragraph 2 of Article 1260 of the CC RF) exercises his copyrights
provided that the rights of authors of works, used in derivative or complied
work creation, are respected.
The Federal Law dated 12 March 2014 No.35 "On amending Parts I, II
and IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and certain legislative acts
of the Russian Federation" supplemented the Article 1303 of the CC RF by
paragraph 3. In accordance with this paragraph «related rights are exercised
with observance of the author rights to the works of science, literature or
art, used while creating objects of related rights. Related rights are
recognized and exercised regardless of the existence and operation of
copyrights for these works». This provision comes into force from October 1,
2014 and applies to all the cases when the related rights objects may contain
objects of copyrights, including to the provisions of section 5 Chapter 71 of
the CC RF.
Follow-Up
to Question 14: We would
like further clarification. Do we correctly understand that Chapter 71 protects
scientific, literary and artistic works after the copyright term has expired
and those works have fallen into the public domain and Chapter 70 applies to
those works while they are protected by copyright?
No, this understanding is not correct.
Firstly, First, Chapter 71 of the CC RF regulates the relationships of
the use of all the objects of related rights. The rights of the publisher are
regulated by only one section (section 6) of the Chapter 71 of the Civil Code
of the Russian Federation.
Secondly, the right of the publisher can arise not only in case when
protection of an exclusive right to work expired and this work has fallen into
public domain but also in case when the work has never been protected by
copyright. As an example of the second case could be the publication of the
work unknown before, whose author had created this work prior to the beginning
of legal copyright protection in Russia (till 1828).
Provisions of section 6 Chapter 71 of the CC RF are formulated by
analogy with the Article 4 of the Directive 2006/116/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the term of protection of
copyright and certain related rights (the codified version).
Follow-Up
to Question 14: What
type of works could be protected under Chapter 71?
Chapter 71 of the CC RF protects the
objects of related rights. Section 6 of Chapter 71 of the CC RF protects
scientific, literary or artistic work (music works, works of art, literary
works, etc.), previously not made public and that have fallen into the public
domain or that are in the public domain by virtue of the fact that they are not
protected by copyright.
Follow-Up
to Question 14:
Paragraph 3 of the answer notes that "Article 1337 CC RF publisher is the
citizen who lawfully made public or organized the making public of a work of
scholarship, literature, or art previously not made public and that has gone
into the public domain (Article 1282 CC RF) or that is in the public domain by
virtue of the fact that it is not protected by copyright." Could you further explain what types of
rights this would confer, and to whom?
The publisher is a citizen who has legally promulgated or organized the
promulgation of a work that was in the public domain and was unknown for the
public. Such citizen could be, for example, someone from descendants of the
dead author, but also could be any citizen who found somebody's manuscripts or
illustrations at his attic or dustbin, provided that such works correspond to
the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 1337 of the CC RF and a such citizen
made an effort to promulgate these works.
The provisions of Article 1337 of the CC
RF provide the following rights to the publisher:
(1) exclusive
right to: reproduction of the work, distribution, public show, import, hiring
out, public performance, radio or television broadcasting, cable communication,
bringing the work to the notice of the public. Exclusive right of publisher
covers almost all the authorities as the exclusive right of the author, except
for the translation or other processing of the work as well as the practical implementation
of an architectural, design, town planning or landscaping project;
(2) the
right to indicate his name on copies of a work which he made public and in
other cases of its use including translation or other processing of a work (of
course this right by no means doesn't except the necessity to indicate the name
of its author at this work).
Follow-Up
to Question 14: Also,
does this Chapter protect publication of works that are outside the scope of
copyright (i.e., "not protected by copyright"), such as ideas,
procedures, methods of operation or mathematical concepts? This may be a
translation problem, but we remain unclear about whether/how non-copyrightable
works are protected and why they would be protected here.
According to paragraph 2 of Article 1337 of
the CC RF the rights of the publisher extend to works that, irrespective of the
time of creation thereof, could be deemed objects of copyright in accordance
with the rules of Article 1259 of the CC RF.
In accordance with Article 1259 of the CC RF
copyright does not extend to ideas, concepts, principles, methods, processes,
systems, manners or the resolution of technical, organizational or other
problems, inventions, facts, programming languages.
Thus, ideas, procedures, methods of operation
and mathematical concepts are not covered by Chapter 71 of the CC RF.
Follow-Up
to Question 14: Finally,
we would like to confirm understanding that the 25‑year term set forth in
Article 1340 only applies to publications of unpublished works that occur after
the term of the exclusive right set forth in Article 1281 has expired.
Yes, it's true.
25-year period establishes for the earlier unpublished works if the general
term of copyright, established by Article 1281 of the CC RF, had already
expired. Thus, protection of publisher rights doesn't rival the copyright for
the work, but establishes in addition to such protection.
Follow-Up
to Question 15: We understand in your response that the Russian
Federation uses the "rule of the shorter term," a familiar concept
permitted under the Berne Convention for works. We would like some further
clarification, however. Would a US work published in the US in 1975 be
protected under Russian law? In the United States, for example, a work
published here in 1975 would initially be protected under the 1909 US Copyright
Act and would be protected from the date it was published with a copyright
notice. That work would initially have been protected for a term of 28 years
from that date for the first term and then, due to amendments to US law,
automatically extended another 67 years for the second term for a total of 95
years from 1975. Would a US sound recording published in the US in 1975 be
protected under Russian law? (keeping in mind that a sound recording in the US
is a "work" but under Russian law a sound recording receives
neighboring rights protection, and the Rule of the Shorter Term only applies to
Berne works).
The term of
protection granted by Article 7 of the Berne Convention doesn't depend on the
date of accession to this Convention and by general rule shall be no less than
50 years after the death of the author (paragraph 1 of Article 7 of the Berne
Convention).
According to
paragraph 4 of Article 1256 of the CC RF the legal protection to the works on
territory of Russian Federation according to international treaties of Russian
Federation is granted to works which have not fallen to the public domain in
the country of origin due to the expiration of such exclusive right validity
term for these works and have not fallen to the public domain of Russian
Federation due to the expiration of exclusive right validity term for them in
accordance with the CC RF. At the same time validity term of an exclusive
right on territory of Russian Federation cannot exceed an exclusive right
validity term set out in a country of origin of a work.
In accordance with
the provisions of the CC RF the principle of calculating the term of protection
depending on the date of death of the author is set as a general rule for
calculating the exclusive right validity term: the exclusive right to a work
shall be effective for the whole lifetime of the author and 70 years from
January 1 of the year following the year of the author's death (subparagraph 1.
Paragraph 1 of Article 1281 of the CC RF).
The exclusive right
in a work created by co-authors shall be effective for the whole lifetime of
the author who survives the other co-authors and 70 years from January 1 of the
year following the year of his death (subparagraph 2, paragraph 1 of Article
1281 of the CC RF). At the same time, if the work is promulgated after the
author's death the exclusive right for such work shall be effective for
70 years after the promulgation thereof from 1 January of the year
following the year of the promulgation, provided the work is promulgated within
70 years of the death of the author (paragraph 3 of Article 1281 of the CC RF).
Thus the work which
received the protection in the US since 1975 for a general term of 95 years,
will be protected under Russian legislation from 1975 for a term of the
author's life and 70 years after his death, if the 95-years term under US
legislation is expired earlier this term (in such case the protection will be
expired on the base of shorter term rule).
Slightly different
conditions of legal protection are provided in respect of solely sound
recordings (phonograms) - objects of related rights.
In the Russian
Federation recognition of foreign right holders' exclusive rights for
phonograms is conducted in accordance with the international treaties of the
Russian Federation provided that two conditions are respected, that is: with
respect to phonograms that (1) have not passed into the public domain in their
countries of origin due to the expiry of the effective term of exclusive rights
to such object established in those countries, and (2) have not passed into the
public domain in the Russian Federation due to the expiry of the effective term
of exclusive right envisaged by the CC RF (paragraph 3 of Article 1304 of the
CC RF).
Thus, if the
phonogram falls into the public domain in the country of its origin, it will
not be protected in the Russian Federation, even if the term of protection of
such phonogram has not expired in the Russian Federation.
Both the Russian
Federation and the US are the members of the WIPO Performances and Phonograms
Treaty. In accordance with Article 17 of this Treaty the term of protection to
be granted to performers shall last, at least, until the end of a period of 50
years computed from the end of the year in which the performance was fixed in a
phonogram; the term of protection to be granted to producers of phonograms
shall last, at least, until the end of a period of 50 years computed from the
end of the year in which the phonogram was published, or failing such
publication within 50 years from fixation of the phonogram, 50 years from the
end of the year in which the fixation was made.
Regarding the term of
validity of the exclusive right to a phonogram, Article 1327 of the CC RF also
fixes a 50 year term from January 1 of the year following the year in which the
recording took place. However if the phonogram is promulgated before the end of
this 50-years term, the exclusive right validity term will be expired after 50
years from the moment of its promulgation but not from the moment of its
recording.
Thus, a sound
recording, promulgated in the US in 1975, will be protected in accordance with
the Russian law as an object of related rights for 50 years from the date of
its promulgation.
Follow-Up
to Question 15: Could
you also clarify what is meant by a work "made public" in the third
paragraph of your response? More precisely, do you mean "published?"
"first published" and/or "simultaneously published"?
In accordance with
Article 1268 of the CC RF making the work public means an action which opens
the work to the public for the first time by means of publication, public show,
public performance, broadcast or cable or in any other manner.
In such case the
publication (release to the world) is the release for circulation of copies of
the work which are copies of the work in any material form in a quantity
sufficient for meeting the public's reasonable needs depending on the nature of
the work.
Thus, publication
(release to the world) of the work is one of the means of making the work
public (promulgation of a work).
Follow-Up
to Question 16(a): Because
of the manner in which it was translated, we would like to confirm that
subpoint 3 of point 1 of Article 1256 grants protection for US authors for published
and unpublished works. ("the works promulgated outside the territory of
the Russian Federation or non-promulgated but located in any objective form
outside the territory of the Russian Federation, and it is recognized on the
territory of the Russian Federation to be held by authors (their successors)
being citizens of other states or stateless persons in accordance with
international treaties of the Russian Federation.")
Yes, subparagraph 3,
paragraph 1 of Article 1256 of the CC RF in accordance with the Berne
Convention, both Russian Federation and the US are its members, grants
protection to US authors for published and unpublished works.
Follow-Up
to Question 16(b): We would
like to confirm that subpoint 3 of point 1 of Article 1256 grants protection to
non-Berne authors for works first published in the US
Yes, subparagraph 3,
paragraph 1 of Article 1256 of the CC RF in accordance with the Berne
Convention, both Russian Federation and the US are its members, grants
protection to non-Berne authors for works first published in the US
Follow-Up
to Question 16(c): We would
like to confirm that subpoint 3 of point 1 of Article 1256 grants protection to
authors who are not nationals of a Berne country but who have their habitual
residence in the US
Yes, subparagraph 3,
paragraph 1 of Article 1256 of the CC RF in accordance with the Berne
Convention, both Russian Federation and the US are its members, grants
protection to authors who are not nationals of a Berne country but who have
their habitual residence in the US
Follow-Up
to Questions 16(d) and (e): We would like to confirm that subpoint 3 of point 1 of
Article 1256 grants protection to 1) authors of audiovisual works the
maker of which has its headquarters or habitual residence in the US and 2) authors
of works of architecture constructed in the US and 3) authors of artistic works
incorporated in a building or structure located in the US
Yes, subparagraph 3,
paragraph 1 of Article 1256 of the CC RF in accordance with the Berne
Convention, both Russian Federation and the US are its members, grants
protection to: (1) authors of audiovisual works the maker of which has its
headquarters (in case of legal entities)or habitual residence (in case of
individuals) in the US and (2) authors of works of architecture constructed in
the US and (3) authors of any other artistic works incorporated in a building
or structure located in the US
Follow-Up
to Question 17: We would
like clarification, specifically when a work is not used separately but within
an audiovisual work. Since authors of musical compositions contained in
audiovisual works are considered authors of the audiovisual work under Article
1263, does the author of the musical composition have a public performance
right when that music is contained in the audiovisual works and communicated to
the public via television broadcasting or exhibited in theaters under Article
1263, point 3?.
Paragraph 3 of Article 1263
of the CC RF assigns to the composer who is the author of a musical work (with
or without lyrics) used in the audiovisual work only the right for
"fair" remuneration for public performance, as well as for
communication by wireless means or by wire of an audiovisual work. This right
is not in any way connected to the right for public performance, including
exhibition in theaters or communication to the public via television
broadcasting.
The authors of an
audiovisual work on the base of the exclusive right alienation contract
(Article 1234 of the CC RF) or on the base of a license contract (Article
1234 of the CC RF) transfers to the producer (creator of the audiovisual work)
the right to use their work in the composition of a complex audiovisual work.
Furthermore as we already
mentioned, in accordance with Article 1240 of the CC RF the provisions of the
license contract restricting the right to use an audiovisual work shall be
invalid. Please note that we are talking about the use of an audiovisual work.
Thus, by concluding
contract with producer (the creator of an audiovisual work), authors transfer
or grant him the rights for such a work as a whole, and therefore the producer
has an exclusive right for public performance, including exhibition in theaters
or communication to the public via television broadcasting.
Follow-Up
to Question 18: We would
like to confirm our understanding. For audiovisual works created after August
2, 1993, the term of protection is 70 years following the death of the last
surviving author (counting from January 1 of the year following the year of her
death), and for audiovisual works created before August 3, 1993, the term of
protection is 70 years after the date of publication.
In accordance with
paragraph 2 of Article 1263 of the CC RF the authors of an audiovisual work
are: 1) the director; 2) the author of the script; 3) the composer being the
author of a musical work specifically created for the audiovisual work. Taking
to account this provision, if an audiovisual work is created after August 2,
1993 the term of its protection is 70 years following the 1 January of the year
following the year of death of the last surviving author
At the same time, if
an audiovisual work created after 2 August 1993 was published after the death
of author (authors), the exclusive right to such work shall be effective during
the course of 70 years after the work was made public, counting from 1 January
of the year following the year of its publication, provided that the work was
made public within the course of 70 years after the death of the author
(paragraph 3 of Article 1281 of the CC RF).
Regarding the works
created before 3 August 1993 the term of protection is 70 years from the date
of its legal publication, and 70 years from the date of its creation if it was
not published.
Follow-up
to Question 20: We
understand this to be a question related to TM-counterfeit goods but would like
clarification about what "societal interests" would be considered
appropriate for counterfeit goods to be recovered; what would happen to those
goods; and who might benefit from that recovery (We do not understand the
meaning of the phrase "subject by recovery to income of the Russian
Federation.")
The provisions of clause 2 of article 1515 of the CC RF establish a
removal from circulation of goods at the expense of an infringer. The exception
is made for cases when commercialization of such goods is necessary for public interests. In
this case a trademark which is being illegally used must be erased from goods,
labels and packages at the expense of infringer. The public interest may be
determined only by the Court or Governmental authority. For example, in the
case of natural catastrophe or disaster.
Expression «to the state revenue» according to the Article 1515 of the
CC RF is not used. The «commerсialization» term is used in CC RF regarding not
only for questions connected with commercial benefit, but in general sense
regarding possibility of making a deal with such goods (including free deals)
(Article 129 of the CC RF). In case a Court or any Governmental authority sets
a necessity of use of goods for the public benefit, so in these cases there is
no way to get commercial benefit.
Follow-up to Question 21: Article 1312 refers back to
Article 1302 and we therefore understand this Article to amount to an
injunction. Is that a correct reading? Could you describe what Article 1312
adds to 1302 that is not inherent in Article 1302?
Article 1302 of the CC
RF refers to measures to secure a claim for copyright infringement,
including court injunction for a person to take specific actions (e.g. reproduction,
sale, import) with the purpose of introducing into commercial circulation
copies of a work suspected to be counterfeit.
Article 1312 of the CC
RF extends the provisions of Article 1302 of the CC RF
with relations in the field of related rights, which means the possibility of a
court injunction for a person to take specific actions listed in Article 1302
of the CC RF, not only in relation to works protected by copyright but also in
relation to objects of related rights.
Provisions of Article
1312 of the CC RF do not add new or limit
any provisions of Article 1302 of the CC RF.
4.3 Responses to Additional Follow-Up Questions[8]
Additional
Follow-Up to Question 3: This is likely a
translation problem, but we would like to confirm our understanding of your explanation
of Article 1232 and therefore will restate our previous question: Would a
foreign author who enters a license contract have to register the license
contract in Russia? If a foreign author does not register the
license contract in Russia, what consequences, if any, would the failure to do
so have on the validity of the license?
If in question 3 author is considered as
citizen who created a work of science, literature or arts (object of copyright)
by his creative work, it is necessary to take into consideration that the Civil
Code of the Russian Federation (hereinafter – CC RF) does not require the state
registration of the license contract under which the author or other
rightholder of work provides or undertakes to provide the right to use this
work to the other party.
At the same time it should be borne in mind
that the in CC RF the term "author" is used not only in relation to
the authors of works (objects of copyright). The CC RF also establishes
provisions for the authors of other results of intellectual activity, for
example, the authors of Topographies of Integrated Circuits (Article 1450 of
the CC RF).
According to para 2 of Article 1460 of the CC
RF, if the topology of integrated circuits has been registered in the Federal
executive authority on intellectual property (Article 1452), a granting of
right to use topology under a license contract shall be subject to state
registration in the manner prescribed by Article 1232 of the CC RF. In this
case, it is necessary to take into account para 6 of Article 1232 of the CC RF.
This para stipulates that if the requirement of state registration of granting
of right to use an integrated circuit layout to another person under a license
contract was not met, the granting of right to use is considered invalid.
Additional Follow-Up to Question
4: The
Russian Federation notes that portions of the Russian Civil Code correspond to
Article 14bis of the Berne Convention. Article 14bis permits countries to
establish, by legislation, ownership of cinematographic works. If a
country has established among the copyright owners in the cinematographic work
the authors who have brought contributions to the making of the cinematographic
work, such country may provide that authors who contribute to cinematographic
works cannot object to certain uses of the works (e.g., reproduction,
distribution, public performance) in the absence of any contrary or special
stipulation. The Russian Federation's answer to our question does not
appear to address the specific language of Article 14bis "in the absence
of any contrary or special stipulation." The Russian Civil Code
appears to prohibit contrary and special stipulations (which 14bis(2)(c)
permits a country to require in writing). As an example: In the
U.S., music composers maintain the right of public performance in their
contracts when their musical works are used in motion pictures, and then
license the public performance of their music when the motion picture is
communicated to the public via television or cable. This does not appear
to be a possibility under your law. Please explain how Russian law
complies with Article 14bis(2)(b).
The provisions of Part 4 of the CC RF contain
the references to the "contrary or special conditions" as provided by
Article 14 bis (2) (b) of the Berne Convention. According to subpara 4 of para
2 of Article 1263 of the CC RF the producer of audiovisual work shall be
entitled to an audiovisual work as a whole, unless otherwise follows from the
contracts concluded by him with the authors of an audiovisual work (director,
script writer and composer).
In this case, the right to use audiovisual
work will oblige the user to obtain the consent not only from the producer of
an audiovisual work, but also from the author of such work.
Additional Follow-Up to Question
10: We
would like to confirm our understanding of the application of the three-step
test to exceptions for parody and caricatures. The Russian Federation's
response noted that courts are generally guided by the three-step test when
considering parodies and caricatures. Please confirm our understating
that in Russian law, parodies and caricatures are generally considered to
comprise exceptions to copyright law, but that courts must apply the three step
test when considering whether the parody or caricature exception is applicable
in any particular case. Also, please confirm our understanding of the
Russian case referenced in the Government's response. It appears that the
court decided that the defendant's use of the musical work was an infringement
because the musical work was not a subject of parody even though the music
video itself was a parody.
We confirm your understanding of three-step
test applied to exceptions for parodies and caricatures.
In relation to the case on the claim of "Pervoe
muzykalnoe izdatelstvo" (English: "First music publishing company"),
LLC to "MTF Production", LLC the court concluded that the subject of
parody was certain elements (dances) of music band performance, recorded by
technical means. It was dancing at the center of stage number. Musical works
(with text) accompanying the parody performance are not the subject of parody
and thus their use resulted in a violation of the copyrights of right holders.
Additional Follow-Up to Question
13: The Russian Federation's
response explains that under the Russian Civil Code exclusive rights for works
from a database and rights for a database itself are separate and "not
absorbing each other." Please confirm our understanding that a
copyrighted work that happens to be included in a database retains its separate
copyright and that the right in the database only protects the overall
selection, coordination and arrangement.
According to Article 1260 of the CC RF the
author of database owns the copyright in the selection or arrangement of
materials (compilation).
The inclusion of the work in the database
requires the consent of the author or other right holder of the original work.
Author of the work, included in a database,
has the right to use his work, regardless of the database, unless otherwise
provided by the contract with the author of the database.
Additional Follow-Up to Question
17: As
explained in the further follow up to Question 4, the Russian Federation notes
that portions of the Russian Civil Code correspond to Article 14bis of the
Berne Convention. Article 14bis permits countries to establish, by
legislation, ownership of cinematographic works. If a country has
established among the copyright owners in the cinematographic work the authors
who have brought contributions to the making of the cinematographic work, such
country may provide that authors who contribute to cinematographic works cannot
object to certain uses of the works (e.g., reproduction, distribution, public
performance) in the absence of any contrary or special stipulation. The
Russian Federation's answer to Questions 4 and 17 does not appear to address
the specific language of Article 14bis "in the absence of any contrary or
special stipulation." The Russian Civil Code appears to prohibit
contrary and special stipulations (which 14bis(2)(c) permits a country to
require in writing) and the response suggests that such provisions would be
invalid. As an example: In the U.S., music composers maintain the
right of public performance in their contracts when their musical works are
used in motion pictures, and then license the public performance of their music
when the motion picture is communicated to the public via television or
cable. This does not appear to be a possibility under your law. Please explain how Russian law complies with
the provision in Berne Convention Article 14bis(2)(b) which allows authors who
contribute to cinematographic works to make a special stipulation retaining the
right to object to certain uses of their work (e.g., public performance).
The provisions of Part 4 of the CC RF contain
the references to the "contrary or special conditions" as provided by
Article 14 bis (2) (b) of the Berne Convention. According to subpara 4 of para
2 of Article 1263 of the CC RF the producer of audiovisual work shall be
entitled to an audiovisual work as a whole, unless otherwise follows from the
contracts concluded by him with the authors of an audiovisual work (director,
script writer and composer).
In this case, the right to use audiovisual
work will oblige the user to obtain the consent not only from the producer of
an audiovisual work, but also from the author of such work.
Additional Follow-Up to Question
20: Please
provide examples, if any, of instances when courts or other governmental
authorities determined that counterfeit goods should be recovered for societal
interests.
There are no any court decisions providing
that counterfeit goods should be recovered for societal interests.
However, in the enforcement practice of
customs authorities there are cases when counterfeit goods seized in the
framework of administrative proceedings, after the court decision to confiscate
the subject of an administrative offense, are not destroyed, and passed with
the consent of the right holder to the social institutions (orphanages,
hospitals, nursing homes, etc.), provided that these products are not dangerous
for life and health of consumers.
__________
[1] As regards laws and regulations notified by the Russian Federation
under Article 63.2 of the Agreement, reference is made to documents
IP/N/1/RUS/1, IP/N/2/RUS/1 and IP/N/6/RUS/1.
[4] Responses circulated in document IP/C/W/595 to questions posed in
document IP/C/W/588.
[5] Responses circulated in document IP/C/W/596 to questions posed in document
IP/C/W/587.
[6] Responses circulated in document IP/C/W/592 to questions posed in
document IP/C/W/589.
[7] Responses circulated in document IP/C/W/592/Add.1 to questions
posed in document IP/C/W/589/Add.1
[8] Responses circulated in document IP/C/W/592/Add.2 to Additional
Follow-Up Questions posed in document IP/C/W/589/Add.2.