Rospatent allowed the use of the Stalingrad brand for oil and gas.

According to ICGS class 4, the mark can be used for oil, gas, lubricants, gasoline, coal, biofuels, petroleum jelly, wax, fuel briquettes and other hydrocarbon derivatives.

“The brand “Stalingrad” was registered in the Volgograd region, first of all, to preserve and protect historical memory, in order to prevent the name of the heroic city from being used for unseemly purposes. This standard applies to all product groups,” the press service of the administration of the Volgograd region informed RB.RU.

• Oil is produced in the Volgograd region; operates one of the largest oil refineries in Russia, the Volgograd Oil Refinery, owned by the LUKOIL group.

As explained by the founder of the Ezybrand patent office, patent attorney No. 2104 Olga Bondareva, the State Property Management Committee wants to secure a monopoly on the word “Stalingrad” as the historical name of Volgograd. The authorities of the Volgograd region first received trademark rights on November 7, 2023 for several classes of IKGS. However, such a name cannot be put into circulation without the consent of the executive branch.

According to Bondareva, now the copyright holder is trying to maximize the legal protection of an already existing “historical trademark”, so new applications have been submitted. They will cover additional types of services, from advertising to organizing leisure and training. The name “Stalingrad” is also used for the Volgograd Fund for the support of military personnel and volunteers of the Northern Military District (“financial services” according to the international brand classifier).

A registered trademark allows you not only to bear administrative responsibility, but also to “punish with rubles”: the copyright holder has the right to go to court and recover compensation of up to 5 million rubles or double the cost of the goods (services) according to article 1515 of the Civil Code (liability for illicit use of a trademark). Entrepreneurs should therefore be more careful with historical names, warns the expert. The Federal Antimonopoly Service also imposes similar sanctions, for example, you can be fined for using the popular image of a Red Army soldier from the Civil War in outdoor advertising, Bondareva said.

According to the patent attorney, patriotism is quite a popular trend in names in recent years. Entrepreneurs and companies are increasingly turning to Russian historical and cultural values ​​when choosing a name for a product, service or sign. However, it is not always possible to obtain a monopoly on such brands.

“Rospatent is obliged to check all applications: if they contain names or images associated with historical events or figures, registration will be rejected. This is contrary to moral norms and public interest: such marks cannot be freely used for commercial purposes. State-owned companies are often rejected. For example, in 2011 the examination rejected the registration of the word “Lenin” in the name of the FSUE “Atomflot” for a nuclear icebreaker,” Bondareva said.

The application for the “Lenin” was drawn up on the basis that Atomflot has ownership rights to this ship of the same name, but this was not enough to successfully register it. Rospatent’s refusal was later supported by the Chamber of Patent Disputes.

An application for the “I am Russian” trademark was submitted to Rospatent in October, including the application for the production of alcohol, submitted by singer Yaroslav Dronov (pseudonym Shaman); A decision on the request has not yet been made, but State Duma deputies opposed it.