On July 13, 2024, the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, signed the law “On Accession to the Protocol on the Protection of Industrial Designs to the Eurasian Patent Convention of September 9, 1994.” The protocol on the protection of industrial samples was adopted on September 9, 2019.
After the accession of Turkmenistan, all member states of the Eurasian Patent Organization will become parties to the Protocol. The full composition opens up the possibility of EAPO joining the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement on the International Registration of Industrial Designs.
The Protocol on the Protection of Industrial Designs for Turkmenistan will become fully operational three months after the depositary has submitted the act of accession.
As a reminder, the acceptance of applications for the issuance of Eurasian patents for industrial designs began as early as June 1, 2021.
A Eurasian patent for an industrial design can be obtained by submitting a relevant application to the EAPO or to the patent office of a country that is a member of the Organization. After obtaining a patent, it is automatically valid in seven EAPO member countries, and after the accession of Turkmenistan, it will start in all eight.
The term of the patent is 5 years from the date of application, with the possibility of extending the rights for a period of up to 25 years.