Agreement of Co-operation on Suppression of Offenses in the Field of Intellectual Property (Moscow, March 6, 1998)

Officially attested text

Agreement
of Co-operation on Suppression of Offenses in the Field of
Intellectual Property
(Moscow, March 6, 1998)

The member states of this Agreement represented by the governments, hereinafter referred to as the Parties,

expressing the deep anxiety about expansion of scales of offenses in the field of intellectual property,

being guided by the Interstate Program of Joint Measures for Struggle Against the Organised Criminality and Other Types of Dangerous Crimes in the Territory of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States for the period till 2000 approved by the Resolution of 17th May 1996 of the Council of the Heads of the States of the Commonwealth of Independent States,

wishing to create the favourable conditions for harmonious development of mutual trade, economic, industrial, and scientific co-operation,

basing on the provisions of the Convention of Legal Assistance and Legal Relations on the Civil, Family, and Criminal Suits of 22nd January 1993,

realising the necessity of co-ordination of efforts of the Parties and undertaking of efficient measures for suppression of offenses in the field of intellectual property,

have agreed on the following:

Article 1

For purposes of this Agreement "intellectual property" has the meaning indicated in Article 2 of the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organisation signed on 14th July 1967 in Stockholm.

Article 2

In order to elaborate the agreed forms and to perform the methods of interaction in the field of preservation and protection of intellectual property the Parties will co-operate in the matters of prevention, exposure, suppression, and investigation of offenses in this field on the basis of compliance with the principles of equality and mutual benefit and in accordance with international treaties and own national legislation.

Article 3

Each Party will be entitled to grant on the basis of mutuality to the physical persons and legal entities of the other Parties the regime not less favourable than to own physical persons and legal entities as regards protection of the rights to intellectual property.

Article 4

1. The competent bodies of the Parties will co-operate by:

a) exchange of information on suppression of offenses in the field of intellectual property;

b) establishment of general information data base on the matters of suppression of offenses in the field of intellectual property with listing the entities having the access to the such data base;

c) performance of measures on prevention, exposure, suppression, and disclosure of offenses in the field of intellectual property;

d) exchange of experience on prevention, exposure, suppression, and disclosure of offenses in the field of intellectual property;

e) exchange of educational, methodical, and special literature;

f) organisation of joint researches, seminars, and conferences;

g) assistance in training and improvement of professional skill of the personnel;