President Mirziyoyev yesterday signed the amendments to the Administrative Liability Code (ALC), aimed at strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights. The Legislative Chamber passed the amendments on February 6, the Senate approved them on February 28.

The new article 177 now regulates the unlawful use of an appellation of origin or a company name, increasing the penalty for the said offence from 5 to 10 minimum wages (MW= 200,000 soums) for individuals, from 10 to 20 MWs for officials.

The same offenses committed again within a year after the application of an administrative penalty is penalized by a fine from 10 to 20 MWs for citizens, and from 20 to 30 MWs for officials.

The new article 177-1 of the Code (violation of copyright and related rights) imposes a fine on individuals from 1 to 5 MWs, and on officials - from 5 to 10 MWs.

Counterfeit copies of works and objects of neighboring rights, as well as materials and equipment used to reproduce and distribute them, and other instruments for the commission of an offense shall be confiscated.

The ALC is also supplemented by article 177−2 - violation of the right to invention, industrial model and industrial design. This entails the imposition of a fine on individuals from 5 to 10 MWs, and on officials - from 10 to 20 MWs.

The same offenses committed repeatedly within a year after the application of an administrative penalty entail the imposition of a fine on individuals from 10 to 20 MWs, and on officials - from 20 to 30 MWs.

The amendments shall take effect after three months.