As part of Uzbekistan’s strategy to strengthen its position on the international stage and integrate into the global economic system, the Law of Uzbekistan No. 908 dated February 15, 2024, was adopted, aimed at aligning national legislation with the requirements and agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Key changes consist of following aspects:
Equal conditions for advertising
Amendments have been made to advertising legislation of Uzbekistan to allow advertising of beer, natural and sparkling wines, including foreign producers. This will create equal conditions for local and foreign producers. For reference, at the moment, advertising of beer and wine is allowed only for local production. The changes will come into effect on January 1, 2025.
Combating against unfair trademarks
One of the important aspects of the updated legislation is the elimination of the limitation period for invalidation of unfair trademarks. According to the new provisions, a trademark certificate can be declared invalid throughout its validity period, rather than only within the last three years of its validity as previously. This concerns situations where the actions of the trademark owner can be officially recognized as a fact of unfair competition in Uzbekistan. Such a change is aimed at combating abuses in the field of trademarks and protecting fair competition in the market.
Unified state fees for trademark registration
The law provides for changes in the amount of state fees for trademark registration. Starting from January 1, 2025, there will be no differences between residents and non-residents of Uzbekistan when paying for government fees. From now on, differences will be between individuals and legal entities. It is important to emphasize that the adoption of these changes will lead to a significant reduction in the amount of state fees for foreign companies.
The adoption of such changes is a significant step on Uzbekistan’s path to integration into the world economy and strengthening its economic ties at the international level.