Ukraine-Russia Crisis - NEWS UPDATE - Declaration on Compliance with Sanctions against Russia

Russia’s conflict with Ukraine has been met with outrage from the international community, with the EU, UK, and US, among others, imposing a range of economic sanctions on Moscow. In this context, we would like to state the following.

We are monitoring and paying attention to international reactions to the current crisis very carefully. Sanctions and other restrictions on economic relations with Russia and Belarus imposed by the international community are complied with by us to the best of our knowledge and belief and with the outmost due diligence.

The sanctions imposed so far are not directed against the IP sector per se. Sanctions against payment transactions between the EU (or the US, UK, Switzerland, Japan, etc.) and Russia or Belarus have so far been imposed on specific Russian banks. We herewith assure you that we do not maintain any business relationships with any of these banks and do not conduct any payment transactions through banks that are on the sanctions list of the EU and/or other countries.

Any payments from our law firm to Russia have been made and will be made via a European bank. Up to now, official fees have been paid at the Russian Patent Office and the Eurasian Patent Office by our Russian colleagues in the usual manner. We will inform you immediately should there be any changes in the future, e.g. if payment of official fees to the Russian Patent Office would no longer be possible or no longer be allowed. The Eurasian Patent Office is an international organization which should not be subject to any sanctions of the international community, nor of the counter-activities of the Russian government. If, nevertheless, payments of official fees to the Eurasian Patent Office via our Moscow office should no longer be possible in the future, such payments could be effected from outside the Russian Federation, from any of the EA contracting states. Also, prosecution of pending Eurasian applications, and the maintenance of the EA patent portfolio, could be carried out from any EA contracting state.

We will keep you updated and will inform you as soon as we become aware of changes in the current situation.