The fight for the brand: Heineken's formersubsidiary seeks to defend “Black Sheep” in court
Heiniken's former subsidiary faced the problem of refusing to register the “Black Sheep” trademark under which they already produce beer. Why this happened, as well as the prospects of this case, are described in the cards above.
Ekaterina Poponina, Senior Associate at Versus.legal commented on this case to Delovoy Peterburg:
“The recommendation for businesses is to immediately register their brands at the beginning of use so as not to get into such situations. Courts in the Russian Federation and Rospatent resolve disputes based on legal norms and general rules that are relevant to both Russian and foreign companies.
In this case, it seems that Rospatent has not fully understood whether the British company's product was only previously sold in the Russian Federation and its sales in the country have stopped at the moment, or can this product be purchased in Russia at the present time?”
The issue is being considered by the Intellectual Property Court, where the company is challenging the decision of Rospatent. According to Ekaterina, there are 2 options for completing the case:
- OPH wins the dispute and will register the “Black Sheep” trademark for beer in the Russian Federation. This will allow them to use the name lawfully. The Black Sheep Brewery Plc. may try to challenge the registration, but the chances of success are slim. If you lose, OPH will not be able to sell beer under this name or will be forced to conclude a license agreement.
- If OPH loses the dispute and fails to register a trademark, they will still be able to use the name, since the foreign company does not have a trademark in the Russian Federation. However, other individuals in the Russian Federation will also be able to use Black Sheep, and OPH will not have a monopoly.
The main risk for OPH is uncertainty and the need to constantly monitor the situation with competitors and The Black Sheep Brewery Plc., which may complicate the fight for the right to use the name.
We leave link to the document with the decision of Rospatent and its appeal, if you want to learn more about the case.
The full version of the article is available at: Business Petersburg