He noted that the number of trademark applications by Russian companies is growing at an impressive rate. Despite geopolitical difficulties, global brands such as Microsoft and Google register their rights in Russia. Foreign companies hope to return to the Russian market.
Yuri Sergeevich, what is most often patented today and in what areas?
Yuri Zubov: Currently, the main patent trend is observed in technological areas such as medicine, petrochemical and gas industry, instrumental diagnostics, aircraft construction and hydrogen technologies. This is where we see an increase in the number of applications submitted over 10 months compared to last year from 5 to 50%. And some advances, for example unmanned technologies, show the dynamics of doubling the number of applications. There is also an increase of 60% in artificial intelligence applications and 13% in the case of robotics. We see similar figures in the field of engine construction.
How much has the number of applications increased overall?
Yuri Zubov: The number of applications for registration of inventions in general by Russian companies and citizens increased by 8%. At the same time, foreigners reduced them by 26%.
I notice that almost half of all applications come from university sciences. We are seeing such a positive trend for the first time in several years. In previous years there was stagnation. I am sure that this is explained by the fact that the tasks of achieving technological sovereignty and serious investments in the creation of technologies were correctly set.
How much has the number of national trademark applications increased?
Yuri Zubov: You could say that the growth is explosive. Over the 10 months of this year, we recorded an increase in the number of trademark applications from Russian applicants of almost 38% compared to the same period last year. This is an important figure: in previous years growth ranged between 3 and 8%. Many products from Russian companies are being introduced to the market. This is a sustainable trend. In digital terms, the growth at the end of 10 months of 2023 amounted to more than 26 thousand applications submitted by Russian companies.
What is this growth due to?
Yuri Zubov: I see that this is largely due to the desire to develop your business. These are specific applications for their own brands and not an attempt to change the labels of companies that have left Russia. Today, society is attentive to quality, the originality of products and the availability of trademark rights. Nobody wants to deal with counterfeit products.
Can a company previously verify the uniqueness of the trademark it is going to register?
Yuri Zubov: It is very important for a company to be able to check the uniqueness of its brand. It was decided that the tools our department works with should be made available to the public. Therefore, at the end of this year, everyone will have the opportunity to determine the uniqueness of a brand, 24 hours a day and completely free of charge.
How will the service work?
Yuri Zubov: We have connected artificial intelligence (AI) to the platform, which will analyze text and images. The same AI-based tools will be used within the department when conducting substantive examinations and classifying by type of goods and services.
By the way, how much development is currently taking place in the field of artificial intelligence?
Yuri Zubov: Quite a bit, and in general, we have been observing this trend for a long time. Russian companies have been increasing the number of applications submitted for several years. In 2022, 162 patents will be issued for artificial intelligence technologies. And in 10 months of this year, 146 patents have already been granted to Russian companies and 55 foreign ones. There is a possibility that this year the figure from last year will be exceeded.
What areas of artificial intelligence use lead in number of applications?
Yuri Zubov: One of the main areas is image examination. Kaspersky Lab has patented a trained model to combat telephone spam. In addition, socially oriented developments are being patented, mainly for digital document processing. Thus, specialists from Novosibirsk State University managed to patent a technology for assessing the psycho-emotional state of a person by analyzing the voice signal.
Another striking example is the company Automation of Pharmacy Production LLC, which used artificial intelligence to ensure individual selection of effective medications. This is a step forward that makes the work of doctors and pharmacists to a certain extent easier.
What is the general situation of digitalization in the field of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights?
Yuri Zubov: All our services should be convenient, transparent and understandable for service consumers – those who interact with Rospatent both to register developments and brands and to receive information about the latest trends and innovations in the field of technological development. In my opinion, we managed to accomplish this task. As part of the national project “Digital Economy”, we have developed eleven state information systems.
All services operate in “twenty-four by seven” mode. This was one of the main conditions for not stopping the interaction with our applicants for even a minute. We see that the services are in demand. Currently, about 80% of all applications submitted to Rospatent are made electronically.
Additionally, we are targeting scientists and innovators who would be interested in interacting with systems themselves. To achieve this, we have made working with patent information as simple as possible. In particular, they launched a search platform that aggregates the entire global fund. That is, not only Russian and Soviet inventions, but also European, Asian, Australian and American developments: around 150 million units. The background is relevant, frequently updated and allows you to understand what trends in technological development exist today, in principle. It all started with 500 requests per week and now there are more than 7 million. Furthermore, these are not only Russian users, but also researchers from all over the world.
Do any foreign companies register their trademarks with us today?
Yuri Zubov: Of course, foreign companies continue to register trademarks in Russia. Over the 10 months of this year, the number of applications decreased by 9% compared to the same period in 2022. In total, more than 16 thousand were received this year, there is an increase in applications from some companies. As an example, I can cite the Chinese automotive giants Haval and Cherry, which file applications for trademarks of their cars and related products. The American conglomerations Microsoft and Google traditionally register trademarks for computer products: smart watches, electronic products, applications for computers and smartphones. Companies from Belarus and South Korea show active growth.
What is the reason for this activity?
Yuri Zubov: Foreigners still see long-term prospects in our market, even if their products have not yet been sold. This is the so-called strategy: guaranteeing the legal protection of a brand before its entry into the market.
Furthermore, foreign companies that leave the market often do not sell their brands or give up maintaining their intellectual property.
How much does it cost to patent your invention now?
Yuri Zubov: This is a very good question. There is a very common myth that patenting something is expensive and time-consuming. This is not so: in Russia, state fees for patenting inventions are certainly lower than in the world. Currently, the average fee for granting patents is about 19 thousand rubles.
Is this true in any industry?
Yuri Zubov: Yes. The price may vary only depending on the number of objects included in an application. There is a calculator on our website that allows you to calculate this cost. There is a benefits system that applies to individuals, students and scientific organizations. The benefits significantly reduce the tax to about 2 thousand rubles instead of 19.
Plus, you can get a 30% discount for submitting your application electronically. So this is an important motivation.
What are the deadlines to register a right?
Yuri Zubov: Currently, the average processing time for patent applications for inventions is four months. For comparison, in 2018 the review took about eight months. Now Rospatent, without false modesty, is the fastest patent office in the world, although in world practice a year and a half is considered a normal period.
Russian inventors actively register their intellectual property rights in the country, but what about their entry into the world market? Do you have difficulties with this now?
Yuri Zubov: Despite the situation, the Russian Federation remains a member of all international agreements. We are connected to all the registration services that exist today in the international space. All conditions for patenting abroad have been created and Rospatent, as a supplier, provides these services as usual. In general, the number of applications for inventions sent abroad by our compatriots during the current year remained the same.
There is something else I would like to note: the tendency to protect Russian inventions in the global space is increasing more than ever. In addition to the West, there are Asian and Middle Eastern countries, as well as our Eurasian neighbors. Therefore, we do not see a reduction in the number of applications submitted and, on the contrary, we expect their increase.
