Company news

As a Central Asian country with a population of 18 million, Kazakstan is an important global trading hub. It’s also a nation that’s been transforming its IP ecosystem to address the problem of fake goods. Last year, the country’s new trademark law introduced a number of significant changes. One was that the concept of ‘counterfeit goods’, which was previously absent from the legislation, was expressly introduced into law. On top of that, it clarified that such goods should be “subject to removal from the market and destruction”.

These changes follow significant issues with fakes in the country. In 2018, Kazakh authorities reportedly seized over 260,000 units of counterfeit goods – and the modified law could see that number rise further.

In a nutshell, what should rights holders know about enforcing against counterfeit goods in Kazakhstan?

Please read it in a new article of  WorldTradeReview “Seven counterfeit hotspots that you must aware of in Kazakhstan“, prepared with the assistance of BMF Research and Bolotov & Partners.

Source: World Trademark Review, August 2019