On 14-15 October 2025, a meeting of the Administrative Council of the Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO), the organization’s governing body, took place in Ashgabat.
One of the notable outcomes of the meeting was the awarding of the V.I. Blinnikov Gold Medal to Turkmenistan’s first smart city, Arkadag. This medal is an EAPO award established in honor of the first President of the Eurasian Patent Office, Victor Ivanovich Blinnikov, the founder of the Eurasian Patent Organization.
The V.I. Blinnikov Gold Medal is awarded to inventors, specialists, and legal entities that have made significant contributions to the development of inventive activity and the legal protection of inventions in the Eurasian region, with results significant for the member states of the Eurasian Patent Convention.
“Arkadag is a unique city in Turkmenistan where advanced technologies are integrated into everyday life: for traffic control, lighting, utilities, and security. The city serves as a living testing ground for numerous inventions, patents, and know-how, demonstrating how innovations and intellectual property can form the foundation for a sustainable and prosperous future,” the EAPO noted.
Key outcomes of the meeting
Following the meeting in Ashgabat, a decision was made for the EAPO to accede to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement, making the EAPO a participant in the international system for registering industrial designs.
Additionally, the rates of certain fees were indexed, with the new fees set to take effect from February 1, 2026.
The EAPO will become a party to the Patent Law Treaty of June 1, 2000, which simplifies procedural aspects of patent processes. The EAPO’s regulations fully comply with the provisions of this international treaty.
A working group on examination issues was established to facilitate the exchange of experience and best practices in conducting examinations and to improve patenting procedures.
Amendments were made to the Patent Regulations of the Eurasian Patent Convention regarding the examination of inventions and industrial designs. The new provisions aim to eliminate uncertainties in applying the author’s privilege and the sequential filing of multiple divisional applications, clarify exclusions from patent protection based on moral and ethical principles, and enhance the quality of examinations. Applicants will be able to extend the validity of a patent for an industrial design for specific designs listed in the application. Third parties will have the opportunity to file objections to invalidate a Eurasian patent through administrative procedures without a time limit.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Eurasian Patent Office, its President, Grigory Ivliev, was awarded a departmental honor by the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan.