Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has approved at first reading bill No. 2259 on reforming patent legislation. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the corresponding bill was supported by 369 MPs with the required 226 votes. “We already know that during the preparation of bill No. 2259 for second reading, we will hold extensive consultations on amendments to the so-called patent evergreening or secondary patents. We are talking about non-salts, isomers, new therapeutic solutions,” MP Roksolana Pidlasa (the Servant of the People parliamentary faction) said, presenting the document in parliament.
In addition, at an evening session on February 4, the Rada adopted bill No. 2258 on protecting intellectual property rights to trademarks and combating patent trolling with 350 supportive votes.
“Appealing fake patents is long, expensive and difficult, and the responsibility for trolling is almost symbolic. If someone uses your trademark or very similar to it, the copyright holder today has no opportunity of appealing this, except in court. And, unfortunately, such an appeal by the current judicial system is also long, expensive and complicated,” Pidlasa said.
The bill sets the list of grounds for refusal to register a trademark or industrial mark, provides for the opening of a database of applications for trademarks for pre-registration protection.
“Finally, we impose tough sanctions on violators of intellectual property rights, a fine of up to UAH 2 million. Together, these tools make the manipulation with trademarks and industrial designs very difficult, economically disadvantageous and risky,” Pidlasa said.
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has passed at second reading bill No. 2241 with amendments to the Tax Code on the reduction of the amber production royalty from 25% to 10% from 2022, and by the end of 2020 the interim rate of 5% will be in effect and in 2021 – 8%. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported that 290 MPs voted in favor of the corresponding bill with the required 226 votes.
“The committee at the meeting decided to take into account the proposals submitted by MPs regarding the reduction of the amber production royalty rate to 10% and temporarily set the royalty for the use of mineral resources for the production of amber until December 31, 2020 inclusively in the amount of 5%, until December 31, 2021 inclusive – at 8%. Thus, the 10% rate will be effective from January 1, 2022,” Deputy Head of the parliamentary committee on finance, customs and tax policy Oleksandr Kovalchuk said, presenting the document from the rostrum of the parliament.
An increase in the royalty from 5% to 25% in 2016 led to a decrease in budget revenues under this item, he said.
“Therefore, the proposed approach has a stimulating character for the legalization of amber production,” Kovalchuk said.
