Trademark Registration in Russia: Questions and Answers

No. Foreign legal entities and citizens permanently residing abroad conduct their affairs with Rospatent through a patent attorney registered with Rospatent (Russian Civil Code, Art. 1247(2)). The attorney acts under a power of attorney and your company becomes the owner.

No. Protection is territorial: a registration in China is valid only in China. To protect a brand in Russia it must be registered at Rospatent.

Yes. If you already have a trademark application or registration in China, you can file an international application through CNIPA and designate Russia. Rospatent examines it in the same way, and a provisional refusal has to be answered through a Russian patent attorney (from CNY 1,000). If you have no Chinese mark, need protection only in Russia or want to register a Cyrillic name, a national application to Rospatent is usually simpler. More in the guide.

Opening a store does not require one. But when you sell under your own brand, the platform may ask for trademark documents or the owner's authorization, and complaints about counterfeits and listings that use your brand without permission need a trademark registered in Russia. If you plan to sell on Russian marketplaces for the long term, file early. The new listing rules are explained in Trademark for Ozon and Wildberries.

Yes. A legal entity or an individual may file an application (Art. 1492(1)), including a citizen of China. Like a company, they deal with Rospatent through a patent attorney.

No. The contract, the power of attorney and all documents are handled remotely, and we communicate by chat app and email. Languages: Russian and English.

Full service: CNY 3,200 for the work and official fees from CNY 2,750 for one Nice class, from CNY 5,950 in total. Each extra class adds about CNY 280 in fees, and from the sixth class about CNY 430.

Any number, but since October 4, 2025, each item over 10 in one class costs an extra CNY 40 at examination and the same again at renewal. Lists of hundreds of items are expensive. List what you sell or plan to sell. Surplus items can be removed later: see amendments.

In Chinese yuan (CNY) by international bank transfer against an invoice. I pay Rospatent's fees on your behalf, so you do not need a Russian account. The service contract is in Russian or English.

The filing and examination fees (from CNY 1,350) are not refunded. The registration fee (CNY 1,400) is paid only after a positive decision. That is why a search before filing pays off.

Not in the full registration package: every reply is included. In the filing-only package a reply is paid separately, from CNY 1,000.

Usually 8–⁠12 months from the filing date. Formal examination takes about a month, followed by substantive examination. The total depends on Rospatent's workload and the number of examiner notices.

Yes, through the paid accelerated search at FIPS (the Federal Institute of Industrial Property), which brings examination down to roughly 1–⁠2 months. The FIPS fee starts at CNY 8,200 per word or figurative mark and is paid separately.

The exclusive right arises on registration, and the 10-year term is counted from the filing date (Art. 1491). The filing date also determines priority over later applications.

The applicant's name and address as on the business license, an image of the mark, a list of goods and services and a power of attorney for the patent attorney. I provide the power of attorney template.

Yes. But for most Russian buyers the characters are a picture. If the goods are sold under a Latin-letter or Cyrillic name, that version should be protected separately or as part of a combined mark.

Yes, if no more than 6 months have passed since your first filing in China: you claim Paris Convention priority (Art. 1495). The claim must be made at filing or within 2 months afterwards, and a copy of the first application must be supplied within 3 months of the filing date.

Yes. If it is not used in Russia for three years in a row after registration, an interested party can sue to have its protection terminated early (Art. 1486). Use by a licensee counts.

Conclude a license agreement and register it at Rospatent. Without registration the grant of the right to use the mark is treated as not having taken place (Art. 1232(6)).

If they agree, sign an assignment agreement and register the transfer to your company. If not, we assess the grounds for challenging the registration. In both cases we start by checking the State Trademark Register.

An application to amend the State Trademark Register is needed: a service fee of CNY 800 and an official fee of CNY 250 for each change. The owner's name, the owner's address and the correspondence address count as separate changes. Review takes up to 75 business days. More on amendments.

No, the list can only be narrowed (Art. 1505(1)). New goods and classes are protected by a new application.

In the last year of the 10-year term. If this period is missed, a further 6 months may be granted on request, with an additional fee (Art. 1491(2)). After that protection ends and cannot be restored.