U.S. Freezes Engagement With Russian Patent Agency

The latest addition to a growing list of U.S. sanctions on Russia now includes patents.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced complete disengagement with Russia’s intellectual property authority, Rospatent, along with the Eurasian Patent Organization and the intellectual property office of Belarus, which the United States holds accountable for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The new measure follows the State Department’s “United with Ukraine” initiative. From March 11, the United States will no longer allow Russian patent applications to be fast-tracked through the cooperative framework known as the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) when “such requests are based on work performed by Rospatent as an Office of Earlier Examination.”

The GPPH program consists of 27 international patent organizations that collaborate in bilateral agreements designed to expedite patent applications by allowing them to be fast-tracked in a second country if they have been approved in another.

Other sanctions instituted as per Department of State instructions include business terminations with 22 defense-related firms that “develop and produce fighter aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles, electronic warfare systems, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles for Russia’s military,” 13 Russian state-owned enterprises, and export control measures regarding semiconductors, telecommunications, lasers, avionics, and maritime technology.