Matvienko urged to use inventions without the consent of copyright holders

Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko proposed to allow the use of inventions without the consent of foreign copyright holders, "if the issue concerns the security of our state or the HEALTH of the population." The meeting of the Council on Intellectual Property was broadcast on the page of the upper chamber on VKontakte.

“It was not we who took tough economic measures in violation of the WTO rules, the norms and rules of international trade,” Matviyenko said.

She urged "to exclude cases of unreasonable prosecution of Russian companies using the results of intellectual property of foreign copyright holders."

In particular, Matvienko mentioned innovations in the field of medicines. According to the chairman of the Federation Council, the forced transfer of a license for the production of foreign medicines in this case will be "justified." “We must act in the legal field, but when it comes to such sensitive areas, we must do everything to preserve the health of people and provide them with the necessary medicines,” Matvienko said.

In May 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that allows Russian companies to settle accounts with certain foreign rights holders in rubles. The measure concerns settlements with those right holders who are “associated with unfriendly countries” or have stopped working in RUSSIA due to sanctions. The decree allows sending payment to the right holder under an agreement concluded between them to a special account in an authorized Russian bank. After that, the bank asks for consent to the transfer from the right holder, who must obtain permission from the government commission to transfer funds to his account. If the copyright holder refuses to transfer, then the money is not sent to him.