Intellectual Property in Kazakhstan 2026: A Guide for Business
20.09.2026
A company name, a logo, a website, an app, product packaging — all of these are intellectual property (IP). Many businesses are built on such assets without the rights ever being secured, and owners find out only when a dispute starts. KORGAN Law Firm has been helping businesses register and protect brands, inventions and creative works since 2014.
This guide covers the IP protection tools available in Kazakhstan, how they differ, how long protection lasts, and what changed in the law in 2026.
The 30-second summary
Kazakhstan has three main IP protection tools: a trademark protects a brand, copyright protects a creative work, and a patent protects an invention, a utility model or an industrial design. Trademarks and patents work only after registration, while copyright arises from the very creation of a work. The most common mistake is to confuse these tools or to use none of them.
This is general information, not legal advice on your specific case. We checked the provisions against the texts of the laws; links are at the end of the article. It is best to show your specific situation to a lawyer.
Key figures
According to KAZPATENT statistics (national procedure applications):
- 41,198 applications to register IP objects were filed in 2025 — 37% more than in 2023 (30,054);
- 16,874 of them were trademark applications, about 41% of the total; in 2023 there were 11,008;
- 20,477 applications concerned copyright registry entries — the largest category;
- 1,322 invention applications (+44% compared with 2023) and 1,943 utility model applications (+60%);
- 10 years is the term of a trademark registration, and it can be renewed.
How intellectual property works
IP is property just like a flat or a car, except that its object is not a physical thing but the result of creative or technical work. The right to it can be exclusive: only the right holder may use and dispose of it, and everyone else needs their consent.
Until a brand name is registered as a trademark, no one holds an exclusive right to it, and someone else may secure the name first. After registration, the owner gets an exclusive right to the mark for the goods and services listed in the certificate, for 10 years from the filing date, with renewals (Art. 4(4) and Art. 15 of the Trademark Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
A business without documented IP is like a flat without title documents: you live there, pay the bills and renovate, but at the first dispute it is very hard to prove it is yours.
The three main tools and how they differ
| Tool | What it protects | Term of protection | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trademark | Name, logo, slogan, three-dimensional sign | 10 years from the filing date, renewable for 10 years each time | Required: the right arises on the registration date |
| Copyright | Texts, photos, music, video, software, design | Author’s life plus 70 years after death | Not required: the right arises on creation; a registry entry is optional |
| Invention patent | Device, method, substance, use for a new purpose | 20 years from the filing date | Required |
| Utility model patent | A technical solution — a product or a method | 5 years from the filing date, extendable by no more than 3 years | Required |
| Industrial design patent | Appearance of a product | 10 years from the filing date, extendable by 5 years at a time, up to 25 years in total | Required |
A single expert organisation — KAZPATENT (the National Institute of Intellectual Property of the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan) — registers trademarks, grants patents and keeps the State Register of Rights to Copyright Objects. The terms are set by Art. 15 of the Trademark Law, Art. 28 of the Copyright Law and Art. 5(3) of the Patent Law.
Trademark: your brand’s passport
The trademark is the most popular IP object among businesses in Kazakhstan. Many applications come from marketplace sellers: without a trademark certificate it is hard for them to protect a product listing from competitors. More on this in our article “Trademark for Marketplace Sellers in Kazakhstan“.
What can be registered: word, figurative, letter, numeric, three-dimensional and other signs or their combinations that distinguish your goods and services from others’ (Art. 5 of the law). A mark can be registered in any colour.
What cannot: signs lacking distinctiveness — those that have become generic for goods of that kind, common symbols and terms, or that indicate the kind, quality, properties or purpose of the goods; state emblems, flags and coats of arms (Art. 6). Nor can you register a sign confusingly similar to someone else’s mark or application with an earlier priority for similar goods or services (Art. 7(1)).
Timing: from filing to certificate usually takes 7–9 months. By law, the full examination takes up to seven months from the filing date, or three months under the expedited procedure at the applicant’s request (Art. 11(1)). A registration is valid for 10 years and can be renewed for another 10 years each time (Art. 15).
From practice: the most common reason for refusal is similarity to marks already registered, so it is worth searching the KAZPATENT databases before filing — how to do it is covered in our article “Trademark Search in Kazakhstan“. If you have already received a refusal, see our article on trademark registration refusals. Our trademark team can file the application and handle the registration.
Copyright: protection exists, but you have to prove it
Copyright arises from the very creation of a work: no registration or other formalities are needed (Art. 9(1) of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Copyright and Related Rights”). Once you have written a text, taken a photo, drawn a layout or written code, the right is already there.
The difficulty is elsewhere: if someone takes your text or photo and calls it their own, you will have to prove authorship. An entry in the State Register of Rights to Copyright Objects helps: the details are entered within one working day of the author’s application, and a certificate confirms the entry (Art. 9-1(1) and (6)). Signs that serve to distinguish goods and services, such as logos, are not entered in this register (Art. 9-1(4)): a brand is protected with a trademark.
What is protected: literary works, photographs, music, audiovisual works, computer programs, works of fine art, architecture and design (Art. 7(1)).
What is not protected: ideas, concepts, principles, methods, systems, processes and facts (Art. 6(4)); official documents, state symbols, and news reports of events and facts (Art. 8).
Term: the author’s whole life plus 70 years after death (Art. 28(1)). The right of authorship and the right to a name are protected indefinitely (Art. 28(2)).
We cover who owns work made by a designer, an employee or a freelancer separately: “Who owns a logo made by a designer” and “Rights to work created by employees and freelancers“. If your materials are already being used without permission, see our copyright protection service.
Patent: a monopoly on an invention
A patent is the most complex tool, but the protection is strong: no one may use the patented solution without the patent holder’s consent. A patent certifies priority, authorship and the exclusive right (Art. 5(2) of the Patent Law).
What can be patented as an invention: a technical solution in any field — a product (a device, a substance), a method, or the use of a known product or method for a new purpose. An invention must be new, involve an inventive step and be industrially applicable (Art. 6(1)–(2)).
What is not an invention: discoveries, scientific theories and mathematical methods; methods of organising and managing business; computer programs and algorithms as such (Art. 6(3)) — software is protected by copyright.
A utility model is a faster route. Novelty and industrial applicability of a utility model are not checked during examination: the patent is granted at the applicant’s own risk and responsibility (Art. 23(1)). The protection is shorter — 5 years, extendable by no more than 3 years (Art. 5(3)).
Industrial design: protecting appearance
If you have developed the design of a product or its packaging, it can be protected as an industrial design. What is protected is the artistic and engineering solution that defines the product’s appearance, not its function: solutions dictated solely by a technical function are not industrial designs (Art. 8 of the Patent Law).
A single product is often protected with several tools at once: the bottle shape by an industrial design, the name and logo by a trademark, the recipe by a trade secret regime.
What changed in 2026
On 25 January 2026, Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 233-VIII of 24 November 2025 “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts on Intellectual Property” came into force (it takes effect 60 calendar days after publication, Art. 2). The key points for business:
- expedited trademark examination at the applicant’s request: the preliminary examination within 10 working days, and the full examination within three months of the filing date (Art. 11(1) of the Trademark Law). It costs more than the standard procedure — see the calculation in our article on trademark registration cost;
- more time to oppose someone else’s application: two months from publication of the application details instead of one (Art. 11-2(1));
- a well-known trademark is recognised by a decision of the authorised body, including a sign used as a trademark without registration (Art. 18-1);
- the Patent Law now refers to “computer programs (software)” — they are still not patentable as such (Art. 6(3));
- the Copyright Law renamed collective rights management organisations and introduced a single digital platform; some provisions, including those on the register, take effect on 1 January 2027.
Before filing, work from the current version of the law: last year’s instructions may no longer match it.
How much it costs
Trademark registration fees follow the KAZPATENT price list: the amount depends on the number of Nice classes and items in them, on whether the applicant is a small or medium-sized business, and on the procedure — standard or expedited. Current 2026 amounts broken down by stage are in our article “Trademark Registration Cost in Kazakhstan 2026“. KAZPATENT also sets the prices for copyright registry entries and patents (Art. 9-2(3) of the Copyright Law), so check them on kazpatent.kz before filing. For an estimate for your case, contact us.
What to do right now
Four questions worth asking yourself today:
- Does your company have a registered trademark? If not, no one holds an exclusive right to the name, and a competitor may register it first.
- Who owns the texts, photos and design on your website? If a freelancer or an agency made them without a rights assignment agreement, the rights may still be theirs.
- Do you have your own technology or product? Without a patent, there is nothing to protect a technical solution from copying.
- Do you sell on marketplaces? A trademark certificate is the basis for complaints against infringers and for restricting your brand on the platform.
Contact KORGAN
KORGAN Law Firm has been working since 2014. In intellectual property, our lawyers will:
- search the sign and file a trademark application;
- prepare rights assignment agreements with designers, developers and contractors;
- help if your brand or materials are used without permission — see copyright protection and our article on trademark infringement.
The first consultation is free.
Phone: +7 700 500 05 53
Or message us on WhatsApp. Other contacts are on our contacts page.
We checked the provisions against the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Trademarks, Service Marks, Geographical Indications and Appellations of Origin”, the Law “On Copyright and Related Rights” and the Patent Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a trademark and copyright?
A trademark protects a brand — a name, a logo, a slogan — and works after registration. Copyright protects a creative work — text, photos, code, a drawing — and arises on creation. A logo as a drawing is protected by copyright, but it is not entered in the copyright register: a brand is protected by registering a trademark.
Do I need to register copyright if it arises automatically?
It is not mandatory, but it helps. A certificate of entry in the State Register shows which details of the work and its author were entered and when, and in a dispute this is strong evidence. Entries are made within one working day of the application (Art. 9-1 of the Copyright Law).
Can a mobile app be patented?
A computer program as such is not an invention and is protected by copyright (Art. 6(3) of the Patent Law). If the app is built on a new technical solution, you can try to patent it as a method; this is assessed case by case.
How much does trademark registration cost in Kazakhstan?
The amount depends on the number of Nice classes, the items in them, the applicant’s status and the procedure — standard or expedited. The fees are set by the KAZPATENT price list; we can calculate them for your case. A calculation under the 2026 KAZPATENT price list is in our article on trademark registration cost.
How long does protection last for different IP objects?
A trademark — 10 years from filing, renewable for 10 years each time; copyright — the author’s life plus 70 years; an invention patent — 20 years; a utility model — 5 years plus up to 3 years; an industrial design — 10 years, extendable up to 25 years in total.
What happens if I do not secure my IP?
A competitor may register your brand name first, you will have to prove authorship of your materials without documents, and a technical solution without a patent may be lawfully copied. The risks grow with the size of the business.