RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONIP/Q/EST/1/Corr.1
IP/Q2/EST/1/Corr.1
IP/Q3/EST/1/Corr.1
IP/Q4/EST/1/Corr.1
16 October 2001
(01-5052)
Council for Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property Rights
REVIEW OF LEGISLATION
ESTONIA
Corrigendum
The paragraphs headed "Trademarks", "Patents" and "Layout-Designs of Integrated Circuits"
in the introductory statement of Estonia should read as set out below.
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Trademarks
In Estonia, protection for trademarks can be acquired through registration in the state register
or in the register of the International Bureau of the WIPO with the request to acquire legal protection
in Estonia, and if the trademark becomes well known in the Republic of Estonia.  The right to registera trademark does not depend on its use.  The rights and limitations granted to trademark holders are
set out in the Trademark Act.  The owner of the tr ademark has the exclusive right to use the trademark
and may assign the registered trademark to a natural or a legal person with respect to all or some of
the protected goods or services.
Patents
Under the Patents Act, protection is provided to equipment, process and material including
biological material or their combination.  Non-pate ntable inventions include inventions contrary to
public order and morality, treatment and diagnostic methods practised on humans or animals and a
certain number of biotechnological inventions.  The Act sets out provisions regarding a patentee's
exclusive rights and exceptions, as well as supplementary protection certificates for pharmaceuticaland agricultural chemical products.  There are no restrictions on a patent owner's rights to assign,
transfer or license his rights and the validity of a licensing agreement is not dependent on its
registration with the Patent Office.  Compulsory licences can be granted by court order only under
terms and conditions consistent with Article 31 of the TRIPS Agreement.  Estonia's patent law
recognizes the right of priority on the basis of an earlier patent application filed within a period oftwelve months in any other WTO Member or in a Member of the Paris Convention.  The Patent Act
was last amended in 1998.
Layout-Designs of Integrated Circuits
The Act on the Protection of Layout-Designs of Integrated Circuits grants legal protection to
layout-designs that are original and have not been commercially exploited in any part of the world for
more than two years prior to the filing of the application for registration of the layout-design in the
State Register of Layout-Designs.  Legal protection is acquired through registration in the State
Register of Layout-Designs.
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