ICLG - Copyright 2015 - Russia Chapter

Copyright Subsistence

1.1 What are the requirements for copyright to subsist in a work?

Copyright subsists in scientific, literary and artistic works fixed in any tangible medium of expression, regardless of benefits or purposes or the methods of expression of such works. To be copyrightable, a work shall satisfy two (2) fundamental requirements. It must be: (i) creative/original; and (ii) fixed in any material form. The concept of «originality» is not defined in the law, so it shall remain a matter of fact. Practically, the creative or original nature of the work of authorship is presumed, unless the opposite has been proven in court. The concept of «fixation» is set forth by the law, and it extends to any tangible medium, including verbal, written and three-dimensional form, as well as sound and video recording.

Copyright vests in a work of authorship automatically. There is no need to register or comply with any other formalities to acquire, exercise or protect copyright. Published and unpublished works of authorship may attract copyright protection.

1.2 On the presumption that copyright can arise in literary, artistic and musical works, are there any other works in which copyright can subsist and are there any works which are excluded from copyright protection?

According to Section 1 of Article 1259 of the Russian Civil Code, the following examples of works of authorship can obtain copyright protection:

• literary works;
• musical works;
• dramatic works,
• choreographic works and pantomimes;
• audiovisual works;
• sculptural, graphic and design works;
• photographic works;
• architectural works; and
• pictorial works.

Software and databases are also copyrightable.

Basically, copyright does not extend to ideas, concepts, methods, processes, systems, techniques, solutions for technical, organisational and other objectives, discoveries, facts and programming languages. The following objects are also excluded from copyright protection:

• official documents and any legislative acts;
• court rulings and decisions;
• documents issued by international organisations (and their official translations);
• state symbols and signs (including flags, coats of arms and orders);
• works of folk art (folklore) without known authors; and
• reports of events and facts having an informational effect (including news and TV programmes).

1.3 Is there a system for registration of copyright and if so what is the effect of registration?

There is no system of mandatory registration of copyright. Any scientific, literary and artistic copyrighted work may be optionally registered (deposited) with a notary public or other organisation.

Software and databases can obtain state registration with the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent). Although such registration is facultative, the same may serve as the «irrebuttable presumption» of copyright protection and ownership in the event of a dispute.

Assignments of registered software and registered databases are subject to imperative registration with the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) and will be regarded as incomplete in the absence of the same.

1.4 What is the duration of copyright protection? Does this vary depending on the type of work?

The general duration of copyright protection, which is applicable to all works of authorship, is the lifetime of the author (the first copyright owner), plus seventy (70) years after her or his death. If the work of authorship has been created in co-authorship, copyright protection lasts during the whole life of the author surviving the other co-authors plus seventy (70) years following her or his death.

Copyright protection for works published after the author’s death will be effective for seventy (70) years following publication, provided that the work has been published during the seventy (70) years following her of his death. If the author was working during the Second World War (1941–1945) or participated in the War, the general term of copyright protection is prolonged by four (4) years.

Once the period of copyright protection is over, the work, whether published or unpublished, falls into the public domain, and any person is entitled thereafter to freely use such work without anyone’s consent/authorisation and without payment of compensation to the author.

The rights of authorship, attribution and integrity vested in the copyrighted work are protected perpetually.

1.5 Is there any overlap between copyright and other intellectual property rights such as design rights and database rights?

Certain works of authorship can be protected by copyright and other IP rights. For instance, designs may fall under copyright, patent as well as trademark protection, provided they meet the criteria of relevant legal protection. Quite often, one and the same industrial design may be covered by copyright and patent protection, and its valid owner is not prohibited from enforcing its copyrights and/or patent rights, subject to proof of copyright and/or patent infringement, as the case may be in practice. Otherwise, there are instances when a particular design will be copyrighted and trademarked.

Databases will enjoy copyright protection in case they are «original» in terms of selection and arrangement of content. Databases that required certain «considerable investment» in terms of their development will create a sui generis database right covered by related rights protection. The law establishes a «rebuttable presumption» according to which the database that has been created under the «considerable investment» scenario will be the one which contains not less than ten thousand (10,000) information elements (materials).

1.6 Are there any restrictions on the protection for copyright works which are made by an industrial process?

There are no restrictions on the protection of copyrighted works which have been made by an industrial process. Provided that such works meet the general legal requirements, as set out in question 1.1 above, they will acquire copyright protection. Also, the court may help to ascertain and recognise the copyright vested in a particular work in the course of civil proceedings.

Ownership

2.1 Who is the first owner of copyright in each of the works protected (other than where questions 2.2 or 2.3 apply)?

The first owner of copyright shall be the author of a scientific, literary or artistic work, i.e. an individual (physical person) who has creatively contributed to the creation or development of the work. Technical, consultancy, organisation or material contribution is not sufficient to establish authorship. It is generally presumed that a person listed on the original or copy of the work at issue shall be the author of the same.

Copyright may further be transferred by the author to another person under the relevant agreement or under another legal basis provided by the law. Moral rights (also known as personal (non-proprietary) rights) are non-assignable and non-transferrable.

2.2 Where a work is commissioned, how is ownership of the copyright determined between the author and the commissioner?

Where a particular work is commissioned, the underlying contract may provide for the assignment or licence of copyright in favour of the commissioner.

With regard to a software or database that has been commissioned, copyright vested in the contracted software or database shall belong to the commissioner, unless the agreement between the contractor and the commissioner provides otherwise. In this case, the contractor shall be entitled to use such software or database for personal needs under the terms of royalty-free non-exclusive licence and within the term of relevant copyright protection, unless there is an agreement to the contrary. In cases where copyright vested in the contracted software or database is owned by the contractor, the commissioner reserves the right to use such software or database for personal needs under the terms of royalty-free non-exclusive license and within the term of relevant copyright protection.

If a software or database has been created under a research and development (R&D) contract that does not specifically provide for the creation of that software or database, copyright shall stay with the contractor, unless the agreement between the contractor and the commissioner sets forth otherwise. In this case, the commissioner shall be entitled to use the created software or database for the purposes of the underlying R&D contract under the terms of royalty-free non-exclusive licence and within the term of relevant copyright protection, unless there is an agreement to the contrary. In cases where copyright vested in the created software or database is transferred to the commissioner or a third party, the contractor reserves the right to use the created software or database for personal needs under the terms of royalty-free non-exclusive licence and within the term of copyright protection, unless there is an agreement to the contrary.

2.3 Where a work is created by an employee, how is ownership of the copyright determined between the employee and the employer?

Where a particular work is created by an employee within the employer-employee relationship, copyright is owned by the employer, unless the employment or other agreement between the employer and employee (author) provides otherwise.

If the employer does not start the use of the created work, does not transfer the copyright vested in the created work to the other party or does not inform the author on the protection of the created work in the applicable confidential manner (ex. in the format of trade secret) within three (3) years from the day when the employee’s work has been provided to the employer, copyright shall pass on to the author.

Moral rights shall always stay with the employee.

2.4 Is there a concept of joint ownership and, if so, what rules apply to dealings with a jointly owned work?

The law recognises the concept of joint authorship. The individuals who have creatively contributed to the creation or development of the scientific, literary or artistic work shall be regarded as joint authors. The work which has been created in co-authorship shall be used by the authors jointly, unless the agreement between the authors provides otherwise.

In case where the work at issue is deemed to be a single subject matter, none of the co-authors may prevent the use of the work without asserting the appropriate reasonable grounds. The part of the work which may be regarded as an independent subject matter may be used by its author at her or his own discretion, unless the agreement between co-authors provides otherwise.

The proceeds derived from the use of the copyrighted work shall be allocated between co-authors on an equal basis, unless the agreement between them sets forth otherwise. Licensing, franchising and other forms of copyright transfer must be implemented by co-authors jointly.

Exploitation

3.1 Are there any formalities which apply to the transfer/assignment of ownership?

Transfer or assignment of copyright ownership must be made in writing and signed by the duly authorised representatives of the contracting parties. A copyright assignment agreement does not need to be registered, notarised or legalised in any manner. At the same time, a copyright assignment agreement shall contain all essential elements or material provisions required under the relevant applicable law and comply with all of the imperatives of the Russian law.

A copyright assignment agreement made against the registered software or the registered database must be registered with the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent), notwithstanding the applied governing law (foreign or national). Failure to register the copyright assignment agreement against the registered software or the registered database will result in the transaction being incomplete.

3.2 Are there any formalities required for a copyright licence?

A copyright licence must be made in writing and signed by the duly authorised representatives of the contracting parties. A copyright licence agreement does not need to be registered, notarised or legalised in any manner. At the same time, a copyright licence agreement shall contain all of the essential elements and material provisions required under the relevant applicable law and comply with all of the imperatives of the Russian law. A copyright licence agreement made against the registered software or the registered database is not subject to registration with the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent).

3.3 Are there any laws which limit the licence terms parties may agree (other than as addressed in questions 3.4 to 3.6)?

There are no laws which may significantly or insignificantly limit the licence terms on which the contracting parties have agreed. Russian IP laws are quite flexible in general and support the fundamental principle of «freedom of contract». Russian antitrust laws are currently not applicable to copyright licensing and transfers allowing the parties to a deal to act according to their business needs even from the competition perspective.

3.4 Which types of copyright work have collective licensing bodies (please name the relevant bodies)?

There are a number of bodies that perform collective management related to copyrights and related rights. Such bodies, interalia, include:

• Russian Authors’ Society which administers the rights in published musical works and excerpts from dramatic musical works, the rights of authors of musical works, the royalty resale rights, the rights related to remuneration of authors, performing artists, producers of sound recordings and audiovisual works, manages literary and other rights (rao.ru).
• Russian Organization for Intellectual Property which administers the related rights related to remuneration of authors, performing artists, producers of sound recordings and audiovisual works, rights related to remuneration of performing artists for the public performance, broadcasting of sound recordings published for commercial purposes, rights related to remuneration of producers of sound recordings for the public performance and broadcasting of sound recordings published for commercial purposes (www.rosvois.ru).
• Art Copyright Management Society which administers the royalty resale rights, the rights related to reproduction of artistic works, photographic works and manuscripts (www.upravis.ru).
• Russian Union of Right Holders which administers the rights related to remuneration of authors, performing artists, producers of sound recordings and audiovisual works and provides support to right holders in terms of enforcement of IP rights (www.rp-union.ru).
• Russian Authors’ Legal Society COPYRUS which administers the rights related to remuneration of authors, publishers and other right holders for the reproduction of works, including digital reproduction, monetary issues with foreign authors’ societies, collection of authors’ fess from libraries, educational institutions, business centres and other organisations (www.copyrus.org).
• Russian Society for Performers’ Right Protection which administers the rights of authors, performing artists, producers of sound recordings and audiovisual works related to remuneration for reproduction of sound recordings and audiovisual works for personal purposes, the rights of performing artists related to remuneration for the public performance and broadcasting of sound recordings published for commercial purposes, the rights of producers of sound recordings related to remuneration for the public performance and broadcasting of sound recordings published for commercial purposes, the rights of performing artists related to remuneration for the making of relevant performances public, the rights of producers of sound recordings related to remuneration for the making of sound recordings public (np-roupi.ru).
• Russian Phonogram Association which secures protection of the rights of performing artists and producers of sound recordings including from the standpoint of remuneration (fonogram.ru).

3.5 Where there are collective licensing bodies, how are they regulated?

Collective management societies are non-commercial organisations that are regulated primarily by the Russian Civil Code, the laws on non-commercial organisations and charters of such organisations. Usually, the charters of these bodies are available on their official websites and subject to approval by the government.

The legal basis for the competence of collective management societies is the management agreement which is made between such organisations and right holders. Right holders may or may not be the members of these bodies. The other legal basis for their competence is the agreement with the other collective management organisations (national and/or foreign).

These collective management organisations may not use the «trusted» copyrights and/or related rights, but they are entitled to bring claims against third party infringers with the competent courts and commit other legal actions for the purposes of enforcement of copyrights and/or related rights on behalf of valid right holders.

The collective management organisations may be accredited in one or several spheres as listed in the law. These (accredited) bodies usually operate under the control of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation or under the control of the respective officials from the territorial divisions of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

The accredited collective management societies must submit a report on their activities before the government and publish the same with the Russian mass media. The form of such report is established by the government and must be presented on an annual basis.

Collective management organisations create and maintain the registries containing the information on right holders, rights transferred for the purposes of management and subject matters of copyright/related rights, including the names of authors or other right holders. This information can be furnished to any persons of interest, except for the cases when the information may not be disclosed without the right holders’ consent.

3.6 On what grounds can licence terms offered by a collective licensing body be challenged?

The licence terms offered by a collective management body may be accepted or not accepted by the other side. Further, licence terms offered by the collective management body may be challenged in court in the event such terms are not consistent with the law and/or violate the rights and/or legitimate interests of the respective counter-agent.

Owners' Rights

4.1 What acts involving a copyright work are capable of being restricted by the rights holder?

Basically, the copyright owner has exclusive rights to carry out, authorise and restrict any of the following activities with her or his copyrighted work (original or copies):

• to reproduce (by writing, drawing, audio or video recording and by other means);
• to distribute (by sale or other transfer of ownership);
• to publicly display (by demonstrating directly or by way of technical means);
• to import (for the purposes of distribution);
• to rent (certain exceptions exist for software);
• to publicly perform (by showing live or by way of technical means);
• to broadcast (transmit by radio or television, including via cable or satellite);
• to translate or otherwise adapt (prepare a derivative work); and
• to make available to the public (including on the Internet).

Subject to certain «fair use» exceptions, which are clearly defined by the law, unless authorisation is obtained from the copyright owner, the above-referenced activities and any other use of the copyrighted work (as the case may be in practice) will constitute copyright infringement. The absence of an intent to infringe and/or ignorance of the law shall not be regarded as a defence to copyright infringement.

4.2 Are there any ancillary rights related to copyright, such as moral rights, and if so what do they protect, and can they be waived or assigned?

The valid author of the work, whether still being the copyright owner or not, has the following moral rights (also known as personal (non-proprietary) rights):

• to claim authorship of that work (the right of authorship);
• to use and authorise the use of the work with or without the author’s name and pseudonym (the right of author to the name);
• to carry out alterations or modifications to the work (the right of integrity);
• to publish, publicly display, publicly perform, broadcast or otherwise make the work available to the public, or to authorise any of the aforementioned (the right of publication); and
• to recall the decision on publication of the work on the condition of payment of damages to the respective assignee or licensee (the right of recall).

The above moral rights are not subject to assignment or licensing. Such moral rights also cannot be pledged or collateralized in favour of a third party. Waiver of such rights shall be null and void. The right of authorship, the author’s right to the name, as well as the right of integrity, shall be protected perpetually.

4.3 Are there circumstances in which a copyright owner is unable to restrain subsequent dealings in works which have been put on the market with his consent?

The law recognises the doctrine of exhaustion of rights, including with regard to copyright and related rights. According to this doctrine, if the legitimately published copyrighted work has been put onto the market of the Russian Federation by way of sale or disposed of otherwise, subsequent distribution of the same shall be allowed without the right holder’s consent and without payment of compensation. If the copyrighted work has been first put onto the market of the Russian Federation by a third party without the right holder’s consent, subsequent dealings with such work are prohibited and may be prosecuted by all judicial or non-judicial means.

Copyright Enforcement

5.1 Are there any statutory enforcement agencies and, if so, are they used by rights holders as an alternative to civil actions?

There are many statutory enforcement agencies that are used by right holders as an alternative to civil actions.

Specifically, while the Russian Customs Offices can assist copyright owners in tackling counterfeiting/piracy at the borders during imports or exports, the Russian Police Offices and the Russian Prosecutor’s Offices may help copyright owners to fight against counterfeiting/piracy on the internal market. In addition, the Russian Federal Customs Service performs copyright registration and records copyrighted works in the Customs IP Register for the purposes of better copyright protection/enforcement.

Also, the Russian Antimonopoly Service and its territorial divisions protect copyrights from the standpoint of unfair competition. Finally, the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) is now competent to assist right holders in blocking the illegal video content (movies) on the Internet under the provisions of the «Russian Antipiracy Law» which has been recently enacted to frame the liability of Internet Service Providers and Domain Holders as well as to help right holders to combat movie-piracy on the web.

5.2 Other than the copyright owner, can anyone else bring a claim for infringement of the copyright in a work?

Other than the copyright owner, the assignee/successor-in-title and the exclusive licensee can also bring claims for copyright infringement with the competent courts. In other words, copyright owners, their assignees/successors and exclusive licensees have valid legal standing to sue for violation of copyrights in Russia. Non-exclusive licensees are not entitled to bring actions against copyright or other IP infringements.

5.3 Can an action be brought against 'secondary' infringers as well as primary infringers and, if so, on what basis can someone be liable for secondary infringement?

The law does not provide for the term «secondary infringement» or «secondary liability». At the same time, the law allows the right holder to prevent actual or threatened infringing activities from the side of any person committing such activities or doing necessary preparations thereto. Hence, copyright owners can enforce the so-called «threats to copyright infringement» by prosecuting the importation, reproduction and distribution of counterfeited/pirated works (as applicable) against the respective infringers. The national court practice has seen quite a few cases where «threats to IP infringement» have been successfully asserted and prevented.

5.4 Are there any general or specific exceptions which can be relied upon as a defence to a claim of infringement?

In addition to the exhaustion of copyrights (please see question 4.3 above), which may be relied upon as a valid defence to a claim of infringement, the defendant may use the statutory defined «fair use» concepts to avoid liability and punishment. For the moment, the most popular «fair dealing» exemptions to copyright infringement would be:

• reproduction of copyrighted works for personal purposes (subject to certain exceptions);
• use of copyrighted works for informational, scientific, educational and cultural purposes (in the scope justified by those purposes);
• use of copyrighted photographic works, works of architecture and works of art which are permanently located at a place freely available to the public (subject to certain exceptions);
• use of musical works in the official or religious ceremonies (in the scope justified by the nature of such ceremonies);
• use of copyrighted works for the purposes of law enforcement (in the scope justified by that purposes);
• recording of copyrighted works by broadcasting organisations for the short-term usage (under certain terms and conditions);
• making changes to software and databases for the purposes of functioning (unless the agreement with the right holder provides otherwise);
• archiving the copy of software and database (under certain terms and conditions); and
• de-compilation of software (under certain terms and conditions).

Other procedural facts/matters, including the lapse of the limitation period, may serve as a valid defence to the claim of infringement as well.

5.5 Are interim or permanent injunctions available?

Both injunctive reliefs, interim and permanent, are available to right holders in copyright infringement matters. In addition, right holders can claim damages or monetary compensation (which is equivalent to «statutory damages») and publication of court orders in the course of civil proceedings. Also, right holders can remedy seizure/forfeiture and destruction of counterfeits in court.

5.6 On what basis are damages or an account of profits calculated?

To claim damages, including loss of profits, the right holder must prove three (3) basic factors: (i) the amount of the sustained damages (by disclosing the method of calculation of the same along with the relevant documentary proofs); (ii) the fact of copyright infringement; and (iii) the nexus between the damages and the relevant copyright infringement. If the right holder has failed to prove one of these factors, the damages shall not be awarded. Damages are usually awarded by judges if they are reasonable and well-grounded.

Instead of damages, and regardless of the fact of losses, the right holder is entitled to claim the so-called monetary compensation (which is equivalent to «statutory damages») using the following available options: (i) in the amount ranging between RUB 10,000 and RUB 5,000,000 (to be determined at the discretion of the court); (ii) in the double amount of copies of the copyrighted work; or (iii) in the double amount of lawful use of the copyrighted work (i.e. the double cost of a copyright licence). Monetary compensation will be awarded if only the fact of relevant copyright infringement is proved by the claimant.

Monetary compensation is a very popular legal remedy. Such remedy is usually awarded by judges if it is reasonable and fair (depending on the nature of copyright infringement at issue and other circumstances surrounding the case).

If moral rights are infringed, the author may claim moral damages.

Attorneys’ fees are also recoverable.

5.7 What are the typical costs of infringement proceedings and how long do they take?

The typical costs of infringement proceedings in the court of first instance may be around USD 20,000–30,000. The civil proceedings usually take about 4–7 months to be completed. If the infringement matter is appealed and further passes all instances, including the Russian Supreme Court, as available under the law, the overall typical costs of the same may be around USD 40,000–50,000, and the case can be ongoing for up to 24 months before eventually being settled.

5.8 Is there a right of appeal from a first instance judgment and if so what are the grounds on which an appeal may be brought?

The first instance judgment can be appealed to the competent court of appeals. Generally, the grounds for modification or cancellation of the decision of the court of first instance are the following: (i) incomplete clarification of the circumstances relevant to the case; (ii) failure to prove the circumstances relevant to the case (which the court has considered as established); (iii) inconsistency of the findings referenced in the court decision towards the circumstances of the case; or (iv) violation or incorrect application of the substantive law or procedural law. The incorrect application of the substantive law shall mean the following: (i) non-application of the laws to be applied; (ii) application of the laws that shall not be applied; or (iii) misinterpretation of the laws.

Violation or incorrect application of procedural rules will be the grounds for modification or cancellation of the decision of the court of first instance in the event such violation resulted in or could lead to a wrong decision. In any case, the grounds for cancellation of the decision of the court of first instance would be: (i) the trial of the matter by a wrong composition of judges; (ii) consideration of the case in the absence of any of the parties (litigants) if they were not properly notified of the time and place of the hearings; (iii) violation of the rules related to the language of court proceedings; or (iv) other grounds.

Further, the decision of the court of appeals may be appealed to the competent courts of cassation, and finally may be appealed to the Russian Supreme Court. In total, there could be four (4) or even five (5) judiciaries in order to have a case related to copyright infringement finally settled.

5.9 What is the period in which an action must be commenced?

A civil action based on copyright infringement must be commenced within 3 (three) years starting from the moment the right holder becomes aware or should have become aware of the relevant infringement. This shall be the general limitation period which applies to such type of cases according to the basic principles of the civil-law.

Criminal Offences

6.1 Are there any criminal offences relating to copyright infringement?

Unauthorised use of copyrighted works — specifically purchase, storage and transportation of the counterfeit copies of works for the purpose of distribution — which are made in the gross amount, may lead to criminal prosecution. Criminal prosecution, if successful, will result in criminal liability as defined by the Russian Criminal Code.

6.2 What is the threshold for criminal liability and what are the potential sanctions?

The threshold for criminal liability will be the so-called gross amount (please see question 6.1 above). The infringing activities (purchase, storage, etc.) will be regarded as committed «in gross», if the costs of copies of the copyrighted works or the costs of rights for the use of the copyrighted works exceed RUB 100,000. The same infringing activities, when carried out by a group of persons under the previous concert or by an organised group, will be regarded as committed «in the extra-gross amount», if the costs of copies of the copyrighted works or the costs of rights for the use of the copyrighted works exceed RUB 1,000,000.

The following sanctions will arise upon the establishment of copyright infringement in the framework of criminal proceedings: (i) a fine in the amount up to RUB 200,000, or in the amount of salary or other income of the convict for a period up to 18 months; (ii) compulsory works for the period of 480 hours; (iii) corrective works for the period of up to 2 years; (iv) forced labour for the period of up to 2 years; or (v) imprisonment up to 2 years. If the group of persons or the organised group is involved in the criminal proceedings, the following sanctions will be applied: (i) forced labour for a period of up to 5 years; or (ii) imprisonment up to 6 years along with a fine in the amount up to RUB 500,000, or in the amount of salary or other income of the convict for a period of up to 3 years (or without the same).

Current Developments

7.1 Have there been, or are there anticipated, any significant legislative changes or case law developments?

Russia has undergone a big civil-law reform, including with regard to intellectual property regulation. A lot of legislative changes have already been adopted and entered into force on October 1, 2014. The amendments in question affect the copyright protection regime up to a certain extent and shall bring clarity or clarification to many practical situations which have not yet been tested or considered by the national courts earlier.

Specifically, the amended Russian Civil Code introduces new rules relating to «open licences» which are applicable to any copyrighted works (texts, music, photos, software, databases). Also, the amended Russian Civil Code defines the website as a compilation and specifies the «fair use» dealings with the copyrighted works on the Internet. Further, the amended Russian Civil Code provides for certain «fair use» actions which shall not constitute infringement of the sui generis database right. Finally, there are many other significant changes in the Russian Civil Code pertaining to moral rights, exclusive rights, software/database protection, technical means of copyright protection and liability for copyright infringement.

7.2 Are there any particularly noteworthy issues around the application and enforcement of copyright in relation to digital content (for example, when a work is deemed to be made available to the public online, hyperlinking, etc.)?

The most resonant and noteworthy legislative act in the digital area which has taken effect recently in Russia is the Federal Law No. 187-FZ «On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Concerning Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Information and Telecommunication Networks» dated July 2, 2013 (the «Russian Antipiracy Law»). The law basically regulates a procedure for blocking the infringing online resources (domain names, websites) on the grounds of distribution of illegal video content on the Internet and allows copyright owners to hold Internet Service Providers as well as Domain Holders liable for copyright infringement.

The Russian Antipiracy Law became effective on August 1, 2013 and during the period of its application demonstrated the highest efficiency of copyright enforcement on the Internet. Although the Russian Antipiracy Law is currently applicable to the enforcement of exclusive rights to movies only, including motion pictures and TV films, there are plans of the government to expand its application onto the various copyrighted objects, including the literary and musical works, software and databases and other works, excluding photographs. Therefore, as soon as these plans come into play, and the changes to the Russian Antipiracy Law are implemented, the practice for protection/enforcement of copyrights in the digital sphere will assume a new and contemporary format in Russia.

This publication is invaluable when I am assisting clients in foreign jurisdictions. Not only does the guide provide answers with respect to the most important issues (more than once, the information available in the guide has enabled my clients to reach favorable settlements), it also provides contact details to lawyers who are able to provide in-depth advice and carry out necessary actions.