On November 24, 2025, the President of Kazakhstan signed Law No. 233-VIII, amending several legislative acts in the IP field, including the Law on Trademarks, Service Marks, Geographical Indications, and Appellations of Origin of Goods.
Key changes include:
Extended opposition period: the deadline for filing oppositions against trademark registrations has been prolonged from 1 month to 2 months from the publication date.
Faster accelerated examinations:
- Preliminary examination may be completed within 10 business days upon request (instead of 1 month under the regular procedure).
- Full examination under the accelerated procedure may be completed within 3 months from filing (previously 4 months).
Suspension due to court proceedings: trademark application prosecution may now be suspended where a related dispute is pending before a court. This ground is added to the existing possibility of suspension linked to opposition proceedings before the Appellate Board.
More flexible opposition hearings: the amendments allow either party to request postponement of opposition hearings before the Appellate Board. Previously, such requests could be filed only by the opponent (the party initiating the opposition).
Digitalization of collective rights management: the law introduces a unified digital platform for the administration of collective rights by collective management organizations.
Enhanced copyright enforcement: unscheduled inspections concerning copyright and related rights may be initiated by justice authorities upon applications from authors and rights holders.
The amendments will enter into force on January 25, 2026.