Armenia
GENERAL INFORMATION
Area: 29,800 sq. km.
Population: 2,976,765 (2024).
Capital: Yerevan.
Language: Armenian.
Currency: Dram.
GENERAL REMARKS
Armenia used to be part of the former Soviet Union. The Republic of Armenia was proclaimed an independent State by Parliament on September 21, 1991, following the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of August 23, 1990.
Member of the Eurasian Patent Convention since February 27, 1996.
PATENTS OF INVENTION
LEGAL BASIS
- Law on Patents, effective as of July 1, 2021.
MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS
- Paris Convention, since May 17, 1994.
- Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), since May 17, 1994.
- Eurasian Patent Convention, since February 27, 1996.
FILING REQUIREMENTS
- Power of Attorney (sealed by the applicant or notarized);
- Specification and abstract (to be translated into Armenian);
- Drawings, if any;
- Priority document, if priority is claimed, to be filed within three months from the filing date.
REMARKS
National Phase of PCT: under Chapter I and II: 31 months.
Validity: patent issued after full examination – valid for 20 years.
Annuities: are due from the second year after filing.
Opposition to granted patent: to be filed before a court.
TRADE AND SERVICE MARKS
LEGAL BASIS
- Law on Trademarks, effective as of July 1, 2010, with further changes of June 16, 2011, October 19, 2016, and August 12, 2023.
MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS
- Paris Convention, since May 17, 1994.
- Madrid Agreement, since May 17, 1994.
- Madrid Protocol, since October 19, 2000.
FILING REQUIREMENTS
- Power of Attorney (sealed by the applicant or notarized);
- 10 prints of the sign to be protected (size: 8 x 8 cm);
- List of goods and services, according to the International Classification;
- Priority document, if any (to be filed within three months from the filing date).
REMARKS
Kinds of protection: word marks, device marks and other distinctive combinations thereof, in color or color combinations, holograms, sounds. Service marks are registrable. Besides the original version, filing of word mark applications in the Armenian script is highly recommended.
Classification: International.
Obligation to use the registered mark: compulsory. An interested third party may request the cancellation of a mark if it has not been used during three consecutive years after the registration date (to be filed before the court only); nominal use (advertising, publications) is accepted in absence of actual use.
Duration – renewals: 10-year period after the filing date, renewable for further 10-year periods.
Opposition: possible during the entire period of validity, or in some cases, within a period of five years after publication (if a prior registration exists), provided the plaintiff justifies that they first knew about existence of such registration no more than two months before filing of the action.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNS
LEGAL BASIS
- Law on Industrial Designs, effective as of July 1, 2021.
MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS
- Paris Convention, since May 17, 1994.
- Hague Agreement, Geneva Act, since July 13, 2007.
FILING REQUIREMENTS
- Power of Attorney (sealed by the applicant or notarized);
- Photographs and drawings;
- Specification of the design;
- Priority document, if any.
REMARKS
Duration: 5 years from the filing date with possibility of renewals up to 25 years.
Opposition: as for patents.
DOMAIN NAMES
LEGAL BASIS
There is no specific legislation although some regulations on the organization and management of country code top-level domain names do exist.
FILING
- ccTLD: .am
- Applicant: individuals and legal entities.
- Local Presence: not required.
REMARKS
Duration – renewals: one to five years, renewable.
Uniform dispute resolution procedure: none.
To access the full content, please subscribe here.
