INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN LITHUANIA

The "Law on Trademarks" of October 10, 2000, in force since January 1, 2001 - is the primary law governing the mechanism of trademark registration and protection in Lithuania.
For getting a trademark registered in Lithuania, an application has to be filed with the Patent Bureau, which administers the entire trademark registration process.
It follows a 'first-to-file' system, which means that trademark registration is mandatory to obtain protection.
Lithuania follows the 11th edition of Nice Classification. Multi-class trademark applications are possible.
The third parties can file opposition actions against a trademark application within three (03) months following its publication date in the official gazette.
In Lithuania, registered trademarks have a validity of ten (10) years from the date of application, which can be further renewed indefinitely for successive periods of ten (10) years each.
The grace period to renew a trademark after the date of expiry is six (06) months.
The term for cancellation of a registered trademark based on non-use is five (05) years from the date of registration.

Lithuania is a member of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
The Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania, 1994 - deals with the mechanism of patent protection in Lithuania.
For seeking patent protection in Lithuania, an application has to be filed with the Patent Bureau, which administers the entire process of patent grant.
In Lithuania, an invention that is new, involves an inventive step, and industrially applicable, subjects to patentability. Process patent and product patent are the two types of patents that can be protected.
The types of patent applications that can be filed include Non-Convention Application and Convention Application.
There is no pre-grant opposition procedure available in Lithuania.
Patents are valid for twenty (20) years from the date of filling of the application in Lithuania. Annual maintenance fees are paid for pending applications starting from the third year within last two (02) months of the current validity year.
Late payment with a 50% surcharge is possible within six (06) months after the expiry of patent validity.

The Law on Designs, 2002 - governs and deals with the mechanism of registration of industrial designs in Lithuania.
For getting an industrial design registered in Lithuania, an application has to be filed with the Patent Bureau, which administers the entire process of registration.
The types of industrial design applications that can be filed in Lithuania include Non-Convention Application and Convention Application.
Opposition against an industrial design application can't be raised in Lithuania.
The total duration of industrial design registration is twenty-five (25) years from the date of application. The initial registration term is five (05) years, which is further extendible for four (04) terms of five (05) years each upon payment of the renewal fee.
The time frame for payment of the renewal fee before the due date is six (06) months.
There is a grace period of six (06) months with a 50 % surcharge to renew a registered industrial design.

Lithuania is a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
Law No. VIII-1185 of May 18, 1999 on Copyright and Related Rights - is the basic legislation governing copyright protection in Lithuania.
In Lithuania, copyright comes into existence as soon as the work is created. There is no formal procedure in place getting a copyright.
Author’s economic rights shall run for the life of the author and for seventy (70) years after his death, irrespective of the date when the work is lawfully made available to the public.
The protection of the author’s moral rights shall be of unlimited duration.
The duration of the authors’ economic rights in a joint work shall run for the life of co-authors and for seventy (70) years after the death of the last surviving author.
In the case of anonymous and pseudonymous works, the term of protection of the authors' economic rights shall run for seventy (70) years after the work is lawfully made available to the public.
The term of protection of authors’ economic rights in an audiovisual work shall extend over the life of the principal director, author of the screenplay, author of the dialogue, art director, director of photography, and the composer of music specifically created for the audiovisual work, and for seventy (70) years after the death of the last of them to survive.