CLS associates possess unique expertise and are highly professional in intellectual property issues, from creation and documentation of rights to intellectual property to their commercialization and protection both at the pretrial stage and in the course of a court process and at administrative bodies.

CLS specializes in questions tied to introducing Russian and foreign brands on new markets and structuring major and multi-aspect deals with intellectual property. A broad network of reliable partners worldwide allows CLS associates to provide “one-stop shopping” services to clients in over 90 jurisdictions.

One specific area of activity in which CLS is engaged is protection of new technologies, launch and support for digital ecosystems. They assist with issues related to inclusion of software in the National Software Register, due diligence of rights to software and other technologies, support of transactions on acquisition of intangible assets.

The practice's professionalism is noted annually by leading Russian and international ratings Legal 500, Chambers Europe, WTR 1000, Pravo-300 and Kommersant.

Our services:

Trademarks:

• Checking the protectability of designations, developing strategies for trademark registration
• Registering trademarks in Russia and abroad
• Updating information, extending trademark registration terms and other actions on maintaining trademark legal protection
• Administering cases at the Chamber for Patent Disputes, including filing objections against Rospatent’s decisions on provision/non-provision of trademark protection, on acknowledging trademark protection invalid or acknowledging a trademark as a well-known mark
• Trademark portfolio management

  Structuring relations on use and disposition over intellectual property:

• Due diligence of intangible assets, development of the best strategy for distributing intangible assets
• Developing and legal analysis of IP rights agreements: license agreements, franchise agreements, agreements for pledge or alienation of exclusive rights, agreements for creation of intellectual property, including under author commissioning agreements, in the course of R&D, etc.
• Advising on registration of an employer’s rights to work done for hire
• Developing models for use and management of intellectual property, models for introducing new brands on markets in Russia and other countries
• Structuring deals on acquisition and licensing of intellectual property

Information technologies:

• Support for registration of computer software and databases with Rospatent and inclusion of software into the National Software Register
• Advising on issues related to IT development, use and implementation
• Due diligence of software rights
• Developing IT-related agreements, including agreements and documentation for a particular IT project

Protection of intellectual property rights:

Advising and representing client interests before administrative authorities, commercial arbitration courts, courts of general jurisdiction and Intellectual Property Court of all instances in intellectual property disputes, including such matters as:

• Ceasing infringements of intellectual property rights and recovering compensation for such infringements
• Contesting decisions of the Chamber for Patent Disputes and decisions of Rospatent concerning registration / denial of registration of trademarks;
• Early termination of trademark legal protection
• Deeming actions in use of IP as an act of unfair competition
• Debt recovery and termination of agreements for disposing over intellectual property, etc.

  Combating counterfeiting and parallel import:

• Arranging monitoring, revealing, documenting and terminating violations of exclusive rights by third parties
• Revealing parallel import and counterfeit goods with the engagement of competent authorities, including customs, police and Rospotrebnadzor
• Registering trademarks in the Russian Customs Intellectual Property Register, support in the course of administrative procedures initiated by customs authorities
• Blocking web sites distributing counterfeit goods
• Claim settlement and court work on administrative, criminal and civil liability for violators