President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law "On Amendments to the Customs Code of Ukraine on Protection of Intellectual Property Rights during the Transfer of Goods across the Customs Border of Ukraine" № 202-IX, which was approved by the Verkhovna Rada on October 17, 2019.
The law is aimed at approximation of the customs legislation of Ukraine in the field of intellectual property protection to the standards and practices of the European Union, which is an obligation of our state in the framework of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.
The implementation of the law will strengthen the fight against counterfeit goods, accelerate the movement across the customs border of Ukraine and customs clearance of original goods, promote the development of international trade and increase the investment attractiveness of Ukraine.
The law amends the Customs Code of Ukraine, in particular it defines the terms: "counterfeit goods", "pirated goods", "goods suspected of infringing intellectual property rights".
The document also stipulates that measures aimed to promote the protection of intellectual property rights do not apply to original goods, i.e. goods made with the consent of the right holder or goods made by a person authorized by the right holder to produce a certain amount of goods, in particular if their quantity exceeds the amount agreed on by a person and the right holder.
In addition, the law establishes the peculiarities of suspension of customs clearance and destruction of small consignments of goods that are transported (shipped) across the customs border of Ukraine in international postal and express dispatches.
The law shall enter into force on the day following its publication.