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Franchising Law Handbook
We are pleased to release our Franchising Law Handbook—a comprehensive guide developed by Kinstellar’s team of IP and competition law experts across our jurisdictions. The initiative was led by Partner Natalia Kirichenko to support businesses navigating the increasingly complex and fast-evolving legislation in this field. According to the US Department of Commerce, franchising contributes around USD 2.3 trillion to the global economy annually, making it a powerful model for business expansion across various sectors. This Handbook brings together the expertise of our lawyers across multiple jurisdictions, offering practical insights into key legal frameworks and regulatory requirements. It is designed to serve as
Special legal regime for the protection of intellectual property, established at the beginning of the war, canceled in Ukraine
On April 29, 2025, the President of Ukraine signed Law No. 4362-IX “On the Repeal of the Law of Ukraine ‘On the Protection of Intellectual Property Interests during Martial Law Imposed in Connection with the Armed Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine’.” According to the adopted amendments, the temporary legal mechanisms, introduced in 2022 to support intellectual property rights holders in the context of the war, will expire on May 31, 2025. This means the abolition of the suspension of deadlines for taking actions related to the protection of intellectual property, including the deadlines for the renewal of the relevant certificates, patents and for filing oppositions to applications. Annual
EUIPO offers SMEs trade marksand designs grants of up to EUR 1,350 again in 2025
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has launched the 2025 SME Fund, offering up to 75% savings on, among others, trademark and design application fees, as well as pre-diagnostic IP services. Since 2021, more than 72,000 businesses have benefited from the fund. This year with a budget of over EUR 18 million, this initiative will help startups, videogame studios, and other small businesses, regardless of industry, to strengthen their Intellectual Property portfolios. Applications are open from 3 February to 5 December 2025 — but remember: it is on a first-come, first-served basis! Secure your IP portfolio! Read more in our overview below by Natalia Kirichenko, Partner
Updates to gambling regulations in Ukraine
The Ukrainian parliament recently adopted Law of Ukraine No. 4116-IX[1] to combat gambling addiction (ludomania) and to improve the state regulation of activities related to the organisation and conduct of gambling and lotteries. Most of the amendments will come into force on 1 April 2025. The main changes, inter alia, include: 1. The abolition of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries and the establishment of a new authorized body. 2. A significant expansion and detailing of applicable rules concerning the advertising of gambling, including: a prohibition on using patriotic themes and topics related to the war with Russia, and on using volunteers and military personnel
Kinstellar and Strategy Council present the Ukrainian Drone Defence Forum in London
Kinstellar and Strategy Council, supported by D3 Venture Capital, organised the Ukrainian Drone Defence Forum, "Drones: Delivering Victory" at the prestigious Royal United Services Institute in London on May 21. Purpose. In connection with the recent defence partnership signed between the United Kingdom and Ukraine, the Forum’s endeavoured to enhance the collaboration between Ukrainian and British drone manufacturers and technology firms to scale up drone and electronic warfare production – a top partnership priority. The UK government has allocated £325m to support this effort. In this context, we were pleased to work together with the Government of the United Kingdom to deliver an event that would complement
Kinstellar advised The Associated Press in the production of the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol
Kinstellar is honoured to have provided intellectual property and privacy-related advice to The Associated Press (AP) during the production of 20 Days in Mariupol, a feature-length documentary about the brutal Russian invasion and devastation of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in 2022. The documentary was recently honoured with an Academy Award for Best Documentary, adding to a growing list of accolades for 20 Days in Mariupol, including from Pulitzer, Sundance, BAFTA and the Directors Guild of America. The Oscar is a first for producer Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian AP video journalist, the AP itself (as a 178-year-old news organization), and is also Ukraine’s first ever Oscar win! Ukrainian IP and privacy law advice
EUIPO offers SMEs trade mark and design grants of up to EUR 1,350 again in 2024, available also for Ukrainian SMEs
The European Commission and European Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) have once again launched a small and medium-sized business fund (“SME Fund”) to provide reimbursement for trade mark and design application fees and pre-diagnostic services. The 2024 SME Fund is the third and last call of this initiative, following the 2022 and 2023 SME Funds. The grant scheme, designed to encourage SMEs to expand their intellectual property (“IP”) portfolios, has a budget of more than EUR 21 million, available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The submission period for applications runs from 22 January to 6 December 2024. Read more in the brochure below: DOWNLOAD IN ENGLISH In case of
Update on the Advertising Regulatory Landscape in Ukraine
Amendments to Law of Ukraine on Advertising No. 270/96-ВР of 3 July 1996 have recently come into force. The amendments update obsolete regulations on advertising in Ukraine, thus ensuring advertising standards correspond to current technological developments. Click on one of the images below or click on the following links to read the overview in English or in Ukrainian. Download in English: Download in Ukrainian:
Kinstellar announces new promotions to Partner and Counsel
Kinstellar is delighted and proud to announce the promotions to Partner of Tomáš Melišek (Bratislava), Levente Hegedűs (Budapest), Bulut Girgin (Istanbul), Anastasiya Bolkhovitinova, Natalia Kirichenko, Oleg Matiusha, Illya Muchnyk (all in our Kyiv office), and to Counsel of Dominika Bajzáthová (Bratislava). PARTNERS Tomá š Melišek, Bratislava Tomáš is the Head of the local Banking & Finance service line. He has 15 years of experience in banking and finance, focusing on project and acquisition financing as well as on financial regulations. Tomáš has substantial experience advising clients on significant financing transactions in the areas of real estate, energy, infrastructure, automotive, media
Ukraine introduces a new law to strengthen IP rights protection
A new Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Strengthening the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights” No. 2974-IX (the “Law”), entered into force on 15 April 2023. The Law’s aim is to strengthen IP rights protection in Ukraine and harmonise Ukrainian intellectual property legislation with EU standards on the protection of IP rights. Click on one of the images below to read the overview of the main changes introduced by the law or click the following links to read in English or in Ukrainian. Download in English: Download in Ukrainian:
EUIPO offers SMEs trade mark and design grants of up to EUR 1,350
The European Commission and European Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) have launched a small and medium sized business fund (SME Fund) to provide reimbursement for trademark and design application fees and pre diagnostic services. The grant scheme, designed to encourage SMEs to expand their IP portfolios, has a budget of EUR 25 million, available on a first come, first serve basis. The submission period for applications runs from 23 January to 8 December 2023. Read more in the brochure below: Download in English: In case of any questions with respect to the above, our specialists
Kinstellar advises Kyivstar on the acquisition of a controlling stake in Helsi, in Ukraine
Kinstellar has successfully advised Kyivstar on the acquisition of a controlling stake in Helsi. Kyivstar is the largest digital operator in Ukraine with about 25 million mobile subscribers and over 1.2 million home internet subscribers as of June 2022. The company provides services based on a wide range of mobile and fixed-line technologies, including 4G. Helsi is the largest medical information system and a leading digital provider in the field of healthcare in Ukraine. More than four million people are already users of the Helsi mobile application, with 10 million consultation bookings and three million online consultations per month. More than 1,300 healthcare institutions and over 49,000 doctors throughout