The Customs Code of Kazakhstan provides the possibility for every brand owner to enter his trademark in the Customs Register, provided that the trademark was duly registered with the National Institute of Intellectual Property. Entry into the Customs Register helps brand owners and their legitimate distributors to prevent the importation of any counterfeited versions of their goods into the market.
According to the publicly available Customs Register, as of 1 August 2016, around 700 trademark registrations have already been entered into the register and the Customs Service uses the data on a daily basis to check and stop any suspicious goods at the border.
The procedure for entering a trademark into the register is clear, with no official related fees, and takes around a month. Entry of a trademark into the register requires an insurance agreement, which ensures the responsibly of the brand owner for the expenses of the Customs and damages to the third parties when suspected counterfeited goods are stopped at the border. The trademark can be entered into the register for a period of one or two years, with the possibility of renewal.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.