Rospatent Rejects 'Putin-Medvedev' Vodka Trademark

Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks (Rospatent) has recently refused to grant to Royalty, the Russian beverage producer, trademark protection for the “Volodya i Medvedi” (Volodya and the bears) brand of vodka, which makes reference to the names of Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev.

As the Moscow Times explains, Volodya is a nickname for Vladimir and Medvedi, or bears, sounds similar to the last name Medvedev.

Royalty filed the trademark application in December 2009, which Rospatent rejected in October 2010. Royalty filed an appeal arguing that the name “Volodya i Medvedi” was inspired by the most popular male name in Russia and fairytales. Rospatent rejected the appeal in February 2011 stating the brand would be “detrimental to the image and interests of the state and contrary to public interests.”

Interestingly enough, a Ukrainian company Vineksim, not affiliated with Royalty, has registered the same brand of vodka, “Volodya i Medvedi”, in Ukraine and started to export it to Russia. Vineksim also sells the Putinka brand, which is the second most popular vodka brand in Russia.

For more information, please contact Jelena Jankovic at our Balkan Regional Office.

Source: The Moscow Times