Russian court prohibits use of Coca-Cola name

The Moscow Arbitration Court has upheld a lawsuit filed by US-based The Coca-Cola Company against Koca-kola Kompanii LLC, a company registered in South Ossetia, prohibiting it from using the name “Coca-Cola” in its corporate name.

If the ruling is not complied with, the company will have to pay a court-imposed penalty of 1,000 roubles ($11.9) for each day of delay, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The plaintiff had sought a daily penalty of 20,000 roubles ($237).

A representative of The Coca-Cola Company told the court that counterfeit Coca-Cola products had previously been identified in Russia, with a Novosibirsk company, PKV, listed as the manufacturer on the label, while the South Ossetian Coca-Cola Kompanii LLC was identified as the producer.

The US company stressed that it is the rights holder of the well-known Coca-Cola trademarks and opposes the existence of an organisation with an identical name in Russia.

The Coca-Cola trademark was recognised as well-known in Russia around 30 years ago.

Unlike an ordinary trademark, a well-known trademark has no fixed term of protection and does not require mandatory use every 10 years to retain its status.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov