Uzbekistan’s new Law No. LRU-1144 tightens trademark protection rules from 8
- What Is Law No. LRU-1144 and When Did It Take Effect?
- Why Can a Licensing Agreement No Longer Prove Trademark Use?
- What Counts as Genuine Trademark Use in Uzbekistan Now?
- What Evidence Should Brand Owners Keep?
- What Happens If a Mark Goes Unused for Three Years?
- Who Can Apply for Early Trademark Termination, and Where?
- What Do These Reforms Mean for Foreign Investors?
- How Should Multinationals With Distributors or Licensees Prepare?
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Law No. LRU-1144 and When Did It Take Effect?
Law No. LRU-1144 was signed by the President of Uzbekistan on 7 May 2026 and entered into force on 8 August 2026. It amends the Civil Code provisions governing trademarks and adjusts official fees for patents and other industrial property rights. The stated goals are to modernise Uzbekistan’s intellectual property framework, add procedural certainty, and push registered owners toward genuine commercial use of their marks rather than paper-only protection.
For businesses already holding Uzbek trademark registrations, and for foreign investors weighing entry into the market, the reform changes how rights are maintained and how they can be challenged.
Why Can a Licensing Agreement No Longer Prove Trademark Use?
Before this reform, simply having a trademark licensing agreement on record could count as evidence of “actual use” under Uzbek law. That let owners preserve a registration through a licence alone, even when the mark was not visibly active in the local market.
Law No. LRU-1144 removes that shortcut. A licence on paper is no longer, by itself, enough to defend a mark against a non-use challenge. Owners must now show the mark was genuinely used in commerce
What Counts as Genuine Trademark Use Now
Genuine use means the mark is doing real work in the Uzbek marketplace, not just sitting in a contract. Uzbekistan’s approach now sits closer to the use standards applied in many other jurisdictions, where courts and IP offices look for actual trading activity behind a registration
What Evidence Should Brand Owners Keep?
Uzbek trademark registrations can still be cancelled where a mark has gone unused for three consecutive years without a legitimate reason. That risk has not changed. What has changed is the type of proof that will hold up. Businesses should keep
- Invoices and sales records showing the mark in transactions
- Product packaging and labels bearing the mark
- Advertising and promotional materials directed at Uzbek consumers
- Import and distribution documentation
- Website and e-commerce activity aimed at the Uzbek market
- Any other records showing continuous commercial use
Practical Tip
Build a use file per trademark, updated at least once a year, not assembled after a challenge is filed
Distributors and licensees should be contractually required to share use evidence with the brand owner
What Happens If a Mark Goes Unused for Three Years?
The three-year non-use rule remains in place. An interested third party can still seek cancellation of a registration that has not been genuinely used for three consecutive years without a legitimate reason. The difference after 8 August 2026 is that a licensing agreement alone will not defeat that challenge. Commercial evidence will.
Who Can Apply for Early Trademark Termination, and Where?
The law also creates a clearer route for terminating a registration early, before any renewal is due,in two situations
- The registered owner is a legal entity that has been
- The registered owner is an individual who has died without legal or testamentary heirs An interested third party can bring the application. Previously, these cases could go either to the courts or to the Board of Appeal under the Ministry of Justice, which sometimes produced overlapping jurisdiction and unpredictable outcomes
How Did the Process Change from Before?
Under Law No. LRU-1144, the courts become the sole forum for this type of early termination.Removing the dual-track option is meant to simplify the process for businesses trying to clearinactive or ownerless registrations off the trademark register, and to make outcomes more
predictable
What Do These Reforms Mean for Foreign Investors?
For companies planning to enter the Uzbek market, the message is straightforward: register early, but plan for active use from the start. A trademark strategy built only around defensive registration and licensing paperwork is now more exposed to cancellation risk. Investors should build a local use and evidence plan alongside the registration filing, not after.
How Should Multinationals With Distributors or Licensees Prepare?
Companies that reach the Uzbek market through distributors or licensees carry extra exposure,because the use evidence often sits with athird party rather than the brand owner. To close that
gap
- Review existing Uzbek trademark portfolios against the new use standard
- Update distribution and licence agreements to require regular reporting of use evidence
- Audit registrations approaching the three-year non-use mark first
- Confirm registered owner details are current, particularly for marks held by group entities that may be restructured or dissolve
Key Takeaways
Uzbekistan Trademark Reform 2026, at a Glance
- Law No. LRU-1144, signed 7 May 2026, took effect 8 August 2026.
- A licensing agreement alone no longer proves trademark use.
- The three-year non-use cancellation risk still applies, so evidence now matters more.
- Early termination for liquidated companies or heirless deceased owners now goes to court only
- Foreign investors and multinationals with local distributors should review portfolios before achallenge arise
Protect Your Trademark Rights in Uzbekistan
Legacy Partners has over 15 years of experience in intellectual property and corporate advisory across the UAE, GCC, India, and international markets, and acts as an authorised representative for trademark and IP matters. Talk to our IP team before the three-year non-use clock runs out on your Uzbek registrations
Contact Legacy Partners info@legacypartners.global today to review your Uzbekistan trademark portfolio and build acompliant use-evidence strategy ahead of any challenge
