A patent lawyer explained why Shaman will not be allowed to register the “I am Russian” vodka brand

“The shaman has very little chance of obtaining a monopoly on the name of his song. The fact is that for alcoholic beverages, and specifically for vodka, the “Russian” trademark has long been registered (certificate No. 38389), which in 2005 was recognized as well-known. In addition, there is the NMPT “Russian Vodka” (registration certificate No. 65). NMPT is a special type of individualization means that exists “in parallel” with trademarks and can block a new application,” Bondareva said.

According to the patent attorney, although the names do not completely coincide (“I am Russian” – “Russian” – “Russian vodka”), for Rospatent this will already be sufficient reason to decide to deny the registration of Shaman. If earlier the department was more faithful to applications with the word “Russian”, now almost all of them are rejected, as this can lead to “blurring” of previously registered trademarks, Olga Bondareva clarified.

The song “I am Russian” by Yaroslav Dronov became a trend in 2022: in the first 24 hours after its publication it received more than 1 million views. The video for this song entered the “Top 100 of the best videos in the world”, surpassing Justin Bieber, writes RIA Novosti.

• Bondareva added that the idea of ​​​​registering song titles is not new. “Dolphin and Mermaid” by Igor Nikolaev and “Natural Blonde” by Nikolai Baskov are already trademarks.
• The owner of a trademark receives a monopoly right over his trademark. No one else will be able to use the same name for a project that has nothing to do with the singer’s work. In addition, the brand prohibits the publication of products and other products with the name of the song. Its owner can license its brand, for example, to a distillery and receive royalties, a stable profit. The artist’s prominent name contributes to increasing demand for this product, the patent attorney said.

Singer Yaroslav Dronov, known as Shaman, submitted two applications to register the “I am Russian” trademark in October 2024, the Moscow City News Agency reported, citing data from Rospatent. An application was submitted for ICGS class 33, which allows the production of strong alcohol. The second application covers 17 ICGS classes and includes the production of cosmetics, soft drinks, snacks, household chemicals, cosmetics, jewelry, sex toys and other products. In addition, under the brand “I am Russian” it will be possible to organize show programs, hold concerts, record and broadcast music and videos.

The RBC Vino artist’s press service said that it is too early to talk about plans to release products under this brand.