Faced with sanctions from Western countries due to the invasion in Ukraine, Russia recently made a legal change allowing it to steal intellectual property.
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At the beginning of March, the British branch of Entertainment One lost its lawsuit once morest a Russian media outlet using a fake version of the cartoon character Peppa Pig. The Russian media, however, used its image without having paid the intellectual property rights, reports The Economist.
This decision was made possible by a legal trick following a modification by Russia of its civil code. Decree number 299 thus authorizes the use of patented inventions, including in medicine and digital technology, originating from “hostile countries” without asking the authorization of the owner or paying any compensation.
Britain, although not directly involved in the fighting in Ukraine once morest Russia, falls into this category, due to its involvement in the monetary sanctions once morest Moscow, and its donation of arms to Ukraine.
From an international law perspective, this change is legal, as countries are allowed to make exemptions to patent rules in the event of a national emergency.
Although the law theoretically only applies to patents, which protect inventions, it indirectly gives a pass for other types of intellectual property infringement, such as that once morest the character.
More than 50 registration applications for Western brands such as Coca-Cola and Christian Dior were filed in the last two weeks of March alone.
