OFAC Issues General License Authorizing IPR Protection in Syria
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued General License No. 15, related to Syria, to authorize transactions in connection with intellectual property rights protection that would otherwise be prohibited by Executive Order 13582 of August 17, 2011 (Blocking Property of the Government of Syria and Prohibiting Certain Transactions With Respect to Syria). Specifically, the General License authorizes (1) the filing and prosecution of any application for, (2) the receipt of, (3) the renewal or maintenance of, (4) and the filing and prosecution of (or entry of defense to) any opposition or infringement proceeding with respect to: any patent, trademark, copyright, or other form of intellectual property protection in the United States or Syria.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
General License No. 15 also authorizes the payment of fees currently due to the U.S. government or the government of Syria, or payment of the reasonable and customary fees and charges currently due to attorneys or representatives within the U.S. or Syria, in connection with the transactions authorized by this General License, although payment may not be made from a blocked account.
(See ITT's Online Archives 11081923 for summary of EO 13582 of August 17, 2011 banning certain transactions with Syria. See also ITT's Online Archives 11100762 for information on 141 OFAC FAQs regarding EO 13582.)
See OFAC press release (dated 02/23/12) here.