The Baltika brewery actively opposes the Carlsberg group’s attempt to strip it of the rights to some brands. In response to the Danish company’s unilateral withdrawal of licenses and supplies, the Russian manufacturer filed a lawsuit demanding that Carlsberg’s actions be declared illegal. And although the court had previously rejected Baltika’s request to prohibit the Danes from making any changes to the previously concluded agreements, now representatives of the judiciary met with the domestic brewers and decided not to give Rospatent the opportunity to limit the rights of Baltika.
According to a court ruling published on October 19, to which Kommersant drew attention, Rospatent is prohibited from terminating Baltika’s licenses for the brands Seth & Riley’s Garage, Holsten, Kronenbourg and Tuborg while the case is still pending.
Preliminary hearing on Baltika’s new claim before the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region (to invalidate the unilateral refusal of the Danish Carlsberg group from the framework agreement on supplies and licenses for Seth & Riley`s Garage, Holsten, Kronenbourg and Tuborg) is scheduled for November 15.
The desire of the Danish Carlsberg group to suspend the supply and licensing of these brands is the corporation’s reaction to the transfer of assets and production facilities to the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency and the appointment of the founder of the company, Taimuraz Bolloev, as president of Baltika.
Already in July, when these decisions were made, Carlsberg representatives said that they would weigh the arguments and evaluate the consequences of these steps for the business and then take appropriate measures.
These measures were precisely Baltika’s notification in early October about the termination of licensing agreements for several brands, including international ones, in response to the presidential decree. At the same time, the Danish office reported that until April 2024, Baltika has the right to consume existing reserves and materials.
This decision did not satisfy the Russian company, which in September filed the first lawsuit to prohibit Carlsberg not only from starting the process of unilateral termination of the framework license agreement with Denmark, but also, in general, from making changes to the agreements previously concluded with through Rospatent. . The court then rejected the claims.
Market experts point out that by going to court, Baltika has already bought time, because as long as the process is pending and Rospatent cannot register the termination of the license, the company can still continue producing beer from the brands involved in the case. .
Brewing companies familiar with the situation also believe that during its operation the manufacturer already had access to a database of recipes and production technologies, so the company will be able to continue producing brands of adequate quality.
It is evident that Baltika is willing to lose its competitive advantage in the form of world-famous brands, which allow it to occupy second place in the country in terms of production volume (197.42 million decaliters in 2022), only surpassed by Efes. .
Author:
Ekaterina Alipova
Source: RB
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