Rospatent denies the “confiscation” of the Sberbank and Kalashnikov trademarks

EU restrictions do not imply the suspension of intellectual rights, reported Rospatent, commenting on media publications that Finland allegedly confiscated trademarks of a number of Russian companies.

Earlier, the Finnish newspaper ESS reported on the confiscation of over 40 trademarks by the country’s debt collection department, in particular, Sberbank, the Kalashnikov arms group, etc.

Rospatent, in turn, stated that the EU restrictive measures introduced against individual individuals and legal entities imply depriving them of the right only to sell, license or transfer in any other way rights to intellectual property.

“However, these restrictions do not imply the suspension of intellectual rights and do not prevent them from being used, for example, to designate goods and services. Thus, the exclusive right is not canceled and remains with the copyright holder,” the department explained.

The extension of exclusive rights does not fall under the restrictions, they added. Corresponding clarifications were requested from Rospatent and the Finnish Patent Office.

In January, Finland froze Russian assets worth 187 million euros as part of EU sanctions, which included more than 1,300 Russian citizens. Then the most famous Russian businessman in the republic who came under restrictions was named by Yle as Gennady Timchenko, who is one of the owners of the Helsinki-halli arena in the country. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen previously admittedthat ordinary Russians are also suffering from Western sanctions. Her Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov called such a statement “absolutely boorish.”