Uzbekistan is undertaking a broad reform of its intellectual property system, combining tougher enforcement with digital services, artificial intelligence and new financing mechanisms for intangible assets. The changes are intended to strengthen protection for local and foreign brands, support innovation and bring national regulation closer to international trade standards.
Stronger protection and broader international alignment
Over the recent period, Uzbekistan adopted 51 regulatory documents and joined eight international agreements in the intellectual property field. Administrative liability for infringements has been tightened, while criminal liability has been introduced for certain violations, including breaches of copyright and related rights.
Amendments to the Code of Administrative Responsibility and the Criminal Code, approved in August 2025, entered into force on November 10 of the same year. The changes mark a move toward a stricter but more balanced framework for protecting copyright and related rights.
The country’s intellectual property register now contains more than 102,000 objects. Protection has been expanded both for Uzbek brands abroad and for foreign brands operating in the Uzbek market. Uzbekistan has also registered 23 geographical indications, including Samarkand bread, Chust knives and Margilan adras.
In the 2025 Global Innovation Index, Uzbekistan climbed 14 positions compared with 2020 and ranked 79th. The authorities are also working to align national rules on protection, registration procedures, liability and court practice with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS. This is expected to improve confidence among international companies and support the country’s further integration into global trade mechanisms.
Digital services and artificial intelligence
A presidential resolution signed on November 27, 2025, launched a deeper modernization of the sector. It provides for updated intellectual property legislation, digital public services, interagency information systems, the use of artificial intelligence, reform of the patent attorney system, support for geographical indications, the adoption of international standards and the development of professional expertise.
Among the targets for 2026–2027 are the registration of 100,000 intellectual property objects and 40 geographical indications through the promotion of national brands. The authorities also plan to halve examination times by applying artificial intelligence, complete the transition to electronic interagency document exchange, increase the number of patent attorneys to 400 and raise to 200 the number of intellectual property specialists who have completed professional training abroad in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Artificial intelligence will be introduced into the examination of applications for trademarks, patents and other intellectual property objects. The technology will help process data, identify similar designations, check formal requirements and prepare expert opinions. Officials emphasize that the goal is not to shorten procedures at any cost, but to optimize internal workflows, remove administrative barriers and improve the discipline of expert review.
A new Intellectual Property Protection portal will be created on the basis of existing industrial property protection and IP Protection platforms operated by the Ministry of Justice. The portal will allow users to conclude agreements related to intellectual property objects online and receive answers to questions from citizens and businesses in digital form.
Intellectual property as collateral
The reform also seeks to turn intellectual property into a more usable business asset. Uzbekistan plans to introduce an administrative procedure for pledging intellectual property, establish unified rules for valuing intangible assets and develop insurance instruments for related risks.
If implemented effectively, the measures could create a new market around intangible assets. Banks would be able to accept intellectual property as collateral, valuation companies could develop dedicated services, insurers could offer risk-protection products, and rights holders would gain additional options for monetizing their brands, patents and other assets.
Patent attorneys will also receive broader procedural powers as voluntary contractual representatives. They will be able to participate in intellectual property court proceedings, develop legal positions, assist in collecting and presenting evidence, and work with technical experts.
Geographical indications and international markets
On April 21, 2026, the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis adopted a resolution on the country’s accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications, concluded in Geneva on May 20, 2015.
Accession will enable Uzbekistan to join the Lisbon System for the international registration of appellations of origin and geographical indications. A single registration and one fee can provide protection in all participating countries for an unlimited period. According to Uzbek experts, joining the system could reduce local businesses’ average costs of protecting intellectual property abroad by three times, simplify applications and shorten review periods.
The measure is also viewed as supporting Uzbekistan’s prospective accession to the World Trade Organization, where effective intellectual property protection and internationally compatible regulation are among the key requirements.
New administrative procedures and professional capacity
A Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated June 10, 2026, approved administrative regulations for selected intellectual property services. The procedures cover patents for inventions, utility models, industrial designs and other intellectual property achievements, as well as maintaining valid patents and issuing duplicates of protection documents.
The regulations establish requirements for patent applications. In particular, an invention application must concern one invention or a group of inventions linked closely enough to form a single inventive concept.
Further plans include simplifying amendments to patents and certificates, introducing five composite and four proactive public services, and incorporating the use of intellectual property objects into the Business Sustainability Rating. Patent support, industrial implementation and commercialization centers have been opened at several universities and research institutions. A new intellectual property management specialization is planned at the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek and four additional higher education institutions.
Uzbekistan also holds an annual competition for the Best Intellectual Property Objects in five categories, providing an additional incentive for authors and specialists.
For international furniture, construction, interior and exterior manufacturing, design and architecture companies, the reforms point to a business environment where trademarks, industrial designs, patents and regional product identities should receive clearer protection and become easier to manage digitally. The planned collateral, valuation and insurance mechanisms may eventually create new financing routes for brand-led businesses, while stronger geographical indication rules could open export opportunities for Uzbek materials, craft products and design-oriented regional brands.
