Latvia's Patent Office to be renamed Intellectual Property Office

Latvia's Ministry of Justice and the Patent Office have prepared amendments to Cabinet of Ministers regulations that would rename the institution. Starting January 1, 2027, the Patent Office would officially become known as the Latvian Intellectual Property Office.

Reason for the change

According to the explanatory note accompanying the draft amendments, the current name no longer accurately reflects the full scope of the institution's work. The Patent Office has long handled far more than invention patents — it also oversees registration of trademarks and industrial designs, deals with topography of semiconductor products, and performs competent-authority functions in registration procedures for geographical indications of craft and industrial products.

The institution says the name "Patent Office" creates a misleading impression among the public, since it covers only one element of the broader intellectual property field. A new name, it argues, would more accurately describe its role within the wider intellectual property system and would align with international practice, where comparable institutions are commonly called intellectual property offices.

Other changes

The amendments also clarify procedures for challenging administrative acts or actions taken by the institution's employees, officials, or commissions it has established. Going forward, such decisions could be appealed by submitting a request to the institution's director, unless other regulations specify a different procedure, while the director's decision could then be appealed in court.

The institution notes that the renaming will be funded from its own revenues, meaning no additional state budget funding is required. It also indicated that other legal acts referencing the current name will need to be gradually updated, with these technical changes made as part of other substantive amendments to the relevant acts.