Page 48 - bneIntelliNews monthly country report Russia May 2024

Year-on-year growth in industrial output in February was 8.5% and GDP growth hit 7.7%, according to the State Statistics Service. This sharp acceleration (in January, GDP growth was 4.6%) is partly explained by the additional working day of the leap year. Fundamentally, though, growth is being driven by military spending, which feeds the manufacturing sector and causes abnormal consumer activity.
A special commission will be established to issue permissions for the use of patents despite their owners' bans. China did the same in the 2000s but unofficially. The commission being established will not engage in outright piracy. Patent holders will be offered fair compensation, and in the event of refusal, funds will be forcibly transferred to a special ruble account. Now, legally, any technology or software can be disassembled, their design or code taken, and released under one's own brand. Of course, with brands that remained in Russia, this will still be prohibited. But those who left can be freely copied bypassing international agreements - after all, Russia was excluded from them. The decision does not mean that all patents will now simply be seised from the rights holders. Rather, it's just one of the legal ways to resolve difficult situations. The main goal is to maintain national interests and technological sovereignty. Such patents will be issued by companies in which the state or Russian citisens hold at least a 75% stake.
48 RUSSIA Country Report May 2024 www.intellinews.com