Uzbekistan Introduces New Administrative Fines for IP Rights Infringement

Uzbekistan recently adopted a new law introducing amendments to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Code on Administrative Responsibility, which introduces fines for the infringement of copyright and related rights, patents, utility models, industrial designs and company names, and doubles the existing fines for trademark infringement. The law was published on May 3, 2019 and will enter into force on August 1, 2019.

The fines are different for persons acting on behalf of legal entities (legal representatives) and persons not acting on behalf of legal entities (natural persons). They are also different for first offenses and for offenses repeated within a year from the first fine being paid.

The fines effective from August 1, 2019 are the following:

The new law has not yet appointed an official state body responsible for initiating administrative cases against infringers, but it is expected that it will be appointed by the time the law enters into force on August 1, 2019.

By: Djakhangir Aripov and Gulandom Haydarova

For more information, please contact Djakhangir Aripov at our Uzbekistan office.