OREANDA-NEWS. December 24, 2014. Kazakhstan improves figures on intellectual property rights protection by 42 points since 2011. This has been announced by Kazakh Minister of Justice Berik Imashev on Government Hour in Parliament.

"Kazakhstan has improved its figures by 42 points on the indicator "Intellectual property rights protection" since 2011 - from 116 to 74 place in the Global Competitiveness Index, surpassing such countries as Spain, Brazil, Russia and Georgia. It should be noted that this indicator is formed due to the measures taken to detect and prevent counterfeiting," B. Imashev said.

The Minister said that the improvement of this indicator will depend on effective action on the part of law enforcement anti-counterfeit agencies taking into account legal and administrative reforms in new integration conditions carried out in Kazakhstan.

B. Imashev also recalled that Kazakhstan has been a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) since 1993. Membership in this organization and the ratification of the 19 basic international WIPO treaties helped to harmonize national legislation in accordance with the obligations assumed.

Foreign applicants actively register trademarks in Kazakhstan.

"I would like to highlight the continuing high activity of foreign applicants over the past five years. Registration of trademarks by foreign applicants is 52 percent of the total number of issued protection documents," B. Imashev added.

The minister also said that the overall growth of issued protection documents of intellectual property has totaled 61 percent over the past five years.

Kazakh businessmen pay 6 million euros per year for one brand of beer to the right holder of the trademark.

"We put a bet on business at any sphere and in law expository work. On the other hand, the "buy-sell" - is also complicated and a big job. Of course there are examples, because it is an intellectual property right and it is also the subject of trade, and is sold very well. For example, we have one beer brand registered in Kazakhstan, I cannot name it, but our entrepreneurs who use this brand, annually pay 6 million euros for its use to a person who has the right to the trademark," B. Imashev said.

The Minister noted that this example illustrates the commercial component on the protection of intellectual property rights.

In his report B. Imashev said that Kazakhstan has improved figures for the intellectual property rights protection by 42 points since 2011 in the Global Competitiveness Index.