Media

Today in most countries, Russia is perceived as a country with a lagging legal and economic system in which all disputes and disagreements are resolved by force and power. However, this is just a stereotype that has nothing to do with reality. Mediation in Russia has been known since ancient times. Over the centuries, the conciliation procedures in Russia have undergone great changes and have passed on their own unique way of development – from the rite of the Slavs «twinning» to mediation in its modern sense. At the same time, the development of mediation in Russia has its own characteristics associated with the size of its territory, a well-built structure of power, the multi-ethnic nature of its people with their distinctive cultural characteristics, and the presence of centuries-old close political, economic, and cultural ties with a large number of countries connected to the borders of Russia, which have brought their own special European, Asian and Eastern way of life and thinking to the country. 

There have been significant changes to the way electronic services are taxed in Russia. Anton Nikiforov of Pepeliaev Group discusses the challenges that foreign companies face and how these challenges can be overcome.

Are there different types of trade marks? Must you obtain a trade mark registration in order to have trade mark rights? Are there different standards for registering different types of marks? What are the requirements to register a trade mark? etc.

The majority of my colleagues agree that the most spectacular event of the VIII Saint-Petersburg International Legal Forum was the one where the Russian telecommunication company Megafon presented its legal robot. Not only did the robot appear in front of the public, but also represented one of the disputing parties in a mock case.

It is hoped that the tax treaty between Russia and Hong Kong will improve economic relations between the countries and increase their level of transparency. Rustem Ahmetshin, a Senior Partner at Pepeliaev Group for Bloomberg BNA. 

On 3 October 2017 the Russian Ministry of Finance published the draft “Main directions of the budgetary, tax and customs tariff policies for 2018 and for the planning period of 2019 and 2020”. The document states that it is necessary for Russia to reduce its dependency on the export of oil. Over the next several years this will have to be accomplished in difficult economic and international conditions. New investments in the country's economy will need to be attracted.