Patent registration in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan, is a double landlocked country in Central Asia. The Uzbek economy is in a gradual transition to the market economy, with foreign trade policy being based on import substitution. In September 2017, the country’s currency became fully convertible at market rates. Uzbekistan is a major producer and exporter of cotton. With the gigantic power-generation facilities from the Soviet era and an ample supply of natural gas, Uzbekistan has become the largest electricity producer in Central Asia. Accordingly, many businesses want to enter this market and one of the most important preparations a business needs to take before expanding to this country is to learn the procedure of patent registration in Uzbekistan.
Patent in Uzbekistan
According to Uzbekistan law, a patent in this country is a grant of a property right given by the Government to an inventor. With a patent, the inventor, or the patentee will have the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, selling the invention in a country, or importing the invention into a country, along with other rights to protect their best interests.
To be patentable in Uzbekistan, an invention must satisfy the requirement of new, inventive, and industrially applicable.
In addition, an invention that is patentable can also be an improvement on existing items or methods.
On the other hand, the subjects that are unpatentable in Uzbekistan are:
- Discoveries, laws of nature, and mathematical methods;
- Aesthetic designs;
- Systems, rules, and methods for the performance of mental labor, games or management, computer programs;
- Presentation of data and abstract ideas.
Necessary documents for patent registration in Uzbekistan
The necessary documents for patent registration in Uzbekistan include:
- The request to grant a patent (patent application);
- Detailed information on the applicant(s) including the applicant’s names, addresses, etc.;
- A description of the invention;
- A signed and stamped power of attorney by the applicant(s);
- A copy of the amendments (if any);
- Priority documents (if any).
- Other required documents.
The official language in a patent application in Uzbekistan is Russian or Uzbek. Filing the patent application in another language is possible provided that the translation of those documents into Russian or Uzbek is provided. A sworn statement proving that the contents of those translations are true must also be submitted to the IP Office.
The procedure for patent registration in Uzbekistan
To obtain a patent in Uzbekistan, the applicant needs to file a patent application to the IP Office of Uzbekistan.
The examiners at the IP Office will conduct a formal examination to check if it complies with the requirement of the law of the country.
The novelty grace period in Uzbekistan is 6 months from the filing date. This means that for inventions disclosed publicly within 6 months from the filing date, the patent application will not be considered invalid.
The substantive examination isn’t conducted automatically by the IP Office. The applicant must send the request for such examination within 3 years from the filing date. Failing to file such a request within the deadline might result in the termination of the patent registration process.
If there are no errors, the patent will be granted to the applicant. A patent in Uzbekistan has a 20 years validity period.
Annuities must be paid yearly starting from the third year. The fees should be paid before the anniversary date of the filing date every year.
You can see a list of Uzbekistan IP firms here.