Russian Patent Agents as Victims of Incompetence Showed in Negotiations on Accession of Russia to the WTO

Abstract

This article addresses rather interesting issue of how accession of Russia to the World Trade Organization may result in beginning of competitive struggle between Russian and foreign patent agents providing services with regard to intellectual property. The most curious point is that beginning of such competition may be possible only due to the fact that in the course of negotiations on accession of Russia to the WTO and finalizing the Schedule of specific commitments of the Russian Federation on services, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Russia forgot (in the proper sense of the word) about specific legal status of patent agents provided for by Russian regulation.