Council of Ministers approved the procedure for granting consent to the use of state symbols in a trademark

On August 28, 2020, the Government of the Republic of Belarus adopted the Regulation No. 512 “On Granting Consent to the Use of Certain Designations”. The Regulation approves the Provision on the Procedure for Granting Consent to the Use of Certain Designations in a Trademark, Service Mark (hereinafter – the Provision).

The Provision regulates the procedure for granting consent to the use in a trademark, service mark (hereinafter – trademark) of certain designations that are state symbols of the Republic of Belarus (State Emblem or State Flag of the Republic of Belarus), the official abbreviated or full name of the Republic of Belarus, state awards of the Republic of Belarus, or designations similar to them to the extent of confusion (hereinafter – certain designations).

The Provision establishes the requirements for an application for granting consent to the use of certain designations in a trademark, the procedure for considering and making a decision on the said application, as well as the grounds for refusal.

An application for granting consent to the use of certain designations in a trademark is submitted to the State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter – SCST), where it is considered by an interdepartmental commission. SCST carries out administrative procedure for granting consent for the use of certain designations in a trademark at no cost.