Law on trademarks and service marks.

The present Law regulates relations originating from registration, legal protection and use of trademarks (service marks). Trademarks and service marks are symbols serving for the distinction of commodities (service) produced by some legal or natural persons from similar commodities (service) produced by other legal or natural persons. Verbal, graphic, volumetrical and other symbols and combinations thereof may be registered as trademarks. Trademark can be registered in any colour or any colour combination (art. 1). Legal protection of trademarks shall be carried out by the State patent institution on the grounds of state registration in conformity with the present Law and international agreements concluded by the Republic of Belarus (art. 2). In the register of trademarks shall be recorded the following data : description of trademark, owner’s personal data, the declared designation, the list of commodities to which the trademark is applicable listed in conformity with the International classification of commodities and services for the registration of trademarks (art. 6). The registration of trademark shall be valid for the period of ten years from the date of presentation of application to the authorized institution. The validity can be extended for other ten years in conformity with the owner’s application presented in the course of the last year of the current registration (art. 13). Preventive labelling shall authorize the owner of trademark to put along with the registration mark the wording “registered trademark” or “trademark” indicating that the designation has been registered in the Republic of Belarus (art. 21). The Law consists of 6 Sections composed of 31 articles.