Ukrainian IP Office will issue certificates for intellectual property objects in paper form only upon additional request
On December 4, 2024, the Ukrainian National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovations (UKRNOIVI) published an information notice on the procedure for issuing protection documents for intellectual property rights objects.
The Office drew attention to the fact that the main form of communication in state institutions is electronic.
Considering the current provisions of the legislation in the field of industrial property and the legislation on electronic documents and electronic document flow, certificates and patents are issued by UKRNOIVI in the form of an electronic document, which is the original.
Paper copies of the original electronic documents are sent to the owners and representatives if they relate to documents submitted to UKRNOIVI in:
• electronic form through the UKRNOIVI electronic account – upon separate request.
• paper form – for which the applicant has chosen paper correspondence as the method of communication.
The number of industrial design applications filed with the Eurasian Patent Office is growing every year
According to the 2024 results, the number of industrial design applications filed with the Eurasian Patent Office exceeded 500 for the first time.
The acceptance of Eurasian industrial design applications began on June 1, 2021. During this time, the Office received:
- in 2021: 92 applications for 190 industrial designs.
- in 2022: 233 applications for 639 industrial designs.
- in 2023: 369 applications for 864 industrial designs.
- in 2024: more than 500 applications for more than 1,000 industrial designs.
Not only is the number of applications filed growing every year, but the geography of applicants and the list of products whose appearance is protected by an industrial design patent are also expanding.
An industrial design patent will help protect the right to the design of various products, including labels, logos, and graphical user interfaces.
From 2025, the Eurasian industrial design patent will be protected in all 8 EAPO member states.
Two Ukrainian mineral water producers fined almost 500 thousand USD for misleading consumers
In December 2024, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine recognized that LLC “Izumrud LTD” and PrJSC “Novomoskovskiy Zavod Minvody” violated the Law of Ukraine “On Protection against Unfair Competition” in the form of dissemination of misleading information.
Thus, PrJSC “Novomoskovskiy Zavod Minvody” placed false information on the labels of natural mineral table water “Bon Boisson” with a capacity of 0.75 l and 1.5 l (non-carbonated, slightly carbonated, strongly carbonated) (“the highest pH level* among natural waters of Ukraine accelerates metabolism, has a powerful antioxidant effect and strengthens immunity”), as well as variations of such information that are distributed on social media Instagram and Facebook.
LLC "Izumrud LTD" placed false information on the labels of natural mineral table water "BUVETTE 3 (Vital)" ("accelerates metabolism", "cleanses the body of toxins", "gives the skin radiance"), and on the website ("stimulates cellular processes of metabolism, purification and nutrition") regarding such water.
The Committee established that "Novomoskovskiy Zavod Minvody" and "Izumrud LTD" did not have the results of relevant scientific studies conducted on the waters "Bon Boisson" and "BUVETTE 3 (Vital)", respectively, which confirm the above information about the properties of such products.
The Committee imposed a fine of almost 2 million UAH (50 thousand USD) on "Novomoskovskiy Zavod Minvody" and a fine of 17.7 million UAH (430 thousand USD) on "Izumrud LTD".
