In our June 2000 Newsletter (N.S. 192), we advised that, under a Provisional Statute, it was possible to obtain separate protection for trademarks and patents in the Moldovan Dniester Republic, a territory which claimed independence from the Republic of Moldova in 1991. We have been advised that a new Trademark Law, replacing the Provisional Statute entered into force in the Moldovan Dniester Republic. Our sources indicate that the law is similar to the Russian Trademark Law, except that there are specific provisions regarding the protection of company names, which may not be registered if they are confusingly similar to trademarks registered in the Republic.