The Russian Supreme Court has ruled to register the "Moscow City" trademark held by PAO "City," a company that manages a multifunctional business center in Moscow. This decision follows a lengthy legal dispute with Rospatent, which rejected the trademark application, citing "Moscow City" as a geographical term. However, the Supreme Court upheld the trademark's registration, despite its connection to the geographical term, as it has various uses and is intended to designate specific goods and services.
This Supreme Court decision could be significant for other companies that use geographic terms in their trademarks, as they could use it as a precedent to protect their trademark registration rights. However, some experts have expressed concerns that this decision could lead to infringement of rights to the use of city names and other geographic features.
The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation's decision also underscores the importance of protecting trademark rights and the need for careful review of their registration. Furthermore, this decision may impact trademark registration rules and procedures in Russia and prompt further discussion of this issue in legal circles.
Overall, this Supreme Court decision confirms that Russia has a robust legal system capable of resolving disputes between companies and protecting their intellectual property rights. It also demonstrates that companies should apply for trademark registration with caution and ensure that the mark has a unique use and is associated with specific goods and services to avoid disputes and unauthorized use.
We have previously published materials on this topic:
Rospatent was ordered to register the Moscow City trademark.
Rospatent will register the Moscow City trademark.
The Cassation Court upheld Rospatent's refusal to grant the Moscow-City designation.
Litigation between City Management Company and Rospatent
Rospatent and registration of the Moscow City trademark
The Moscow City brand was not recognized by the court as well-known.
