Maxim Ali has commented for Delovoy Peterburg on the trademark dispute for a pharmaceutical company from the USA

Eli Lilly and Company, pharmaceutical and veterinary medicines manufacturer from the USA, applied to the Intellectual Property Rights Court for an early termination of protection of the Taipit brand owned by Nyenshantz-Financial Company based in St Petersburg. The right to Taipit prevented the pharmaceutical company from registering Taivit, its own trademark. A settlement agreement was recently approved by the court, under which the foreign firm was allowed to register its brand by paying the equivalent of $2,000 to its opponent. It should be noted that Eli Lilly and Company announced the suspension of all investments, advertising activities, new clinical trials and export of essential medicines to Russia, however, the corporation did not give up the dispute for the trademark.

Maxim Ali, Partner and Head of IP/IT practice at Maxima Legal, pointed out to Delovoy Peterburg newspaper that trademarks are often protected by the names of drugs, but in this case we do not see similar drugs on the Russian market or even in the company’s portfolio. The name does not match the list of drugs on Eli Lilly’s website, nor does it match the database of dietary supplements or the registers of medicines or medical products in the Russian Federation.

According to the expert, large companies often apply for a trademark in advance, reserving brand protection before large sums of money are spent to promote it, and it is generally the right strategy.

To read the full article (in Russian) please visit Delovoy Peterburg website >>>