New "owners" of Nivea and Dior: contenders were found for foreign brands

In recent weeks, several dozen applications have been submitted to Rospatent with an attempt to register well-known international brands - from Dior to Visa. Lawyers are convinced

Since mid-March 2022, applications for registration of well-known international brands from Russian businesses and individual entrepreneurs have appeared in the register of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent). RBC found more than 50 such appeals.

Among the brands claimed by Russian entrepreneurs are the brands of Mastercard and American Express payment systems, Audi and Mercedes-Benz cars, fashion and beauty brands such as Levi's and Christian Dior, as well as Shiseido and Clarins, and dozens of others.

Previously, manufacturers of these brands partially or completely suspended work or investments in the Russian market. So, for example, in early March, due to a special operation in Ukraine, the international payment systems Mastercard, Visa, American Express temporarily curtailed their activities. Later, the German automaker Volkswagen (Volkswagen, SKODA, Audi, etc.) suspended deliveries to Russian dealers, while Mercedes-Benz does not deliver and stopped Russian car production for an indefinite period. Levi Strauss & Co temporarily stopped commercial operations and investments in the domestic market. The French cosmetics giant L'Oreal Group closed its own retail, and the Japanese Shiseido Group, in general, suspended the supply of products in RUSSIA.

.fotorama1648546814353 .fotorama__nav--thumbs .fotorama__nav__frame{ padding:5px; height:75px} .fotorama1648546814353 .fotorama__thumb-border{ height:75px; border-width:0px; margin-top:5px}

Most of the applications correspond to the names of the original brands, but there are cases of rebranding or copying the corporate identity. For example, an application has been filed for the registration of the Nezpresso brand, under several classes of the International Classification of Goods (ICGS), including 07 and 11 (include coffee grinders, coffee makers and coffee capsules). Unlike the Nespresso brand (owned by Nestle), in the trademark “S” is replaced by “Z” and, by analogy, it is also included in the visual element of the logo. Russian entrepreneurs are also trying to register the brands "Idea" and "Idea Furniture Factory", using the visually similar style and color schemes of the logo of the Swedish furniture giant IKEA.