MONOPOLY IN ARMENIA FOR PRODUCTION OF SOVIET CONFECTION AND SWEET GOODS
ArmInfo
2009-10-22 15:10:00
ArmInfo. Armenian company ‘Grand Candy’ has given a monopoly right
for production and sale in Armenia of the known Soviet confection
and sweet goods.
As the head of Intellectual Property Agency Armen Azizyan said at
today’s briefing, all the former Soviet trade marks for confection
and sweep goods, such as: ‘Krasnay shapochka’, ‘Belochka’, ‘Mishaka
na severe’ and others were registered in Armenia by ‘Grand Candy’
company. ‘This company has a full right to use these trade marks in
the republic, and according to the law may forbid their import’, –
Azizyan said.
‘As I know, ‘Grand Candy’ company has not yet blocked import of
the competitive production to the Armenian market, though the local
legislation allows the company do that. We think it is unfair that
the rights for all the Soviet brands in Armenia belong only to one
company’, – he said and added that the similar problem is between
Belarus and Russia, Ukraine and Russia. ‘Principally we were right
when registering these brands not in the foreign but local company,
and let the latter decide to allow another producer to enter the market
or not’, – Azizyan said and added these trade marks were registered
for five years and the monopoly right for them will be disputed at
the end of this term.
It is noteworthy that Russian, Ukrainian and Byelorussian producers
have repeatedly complained to the Armenian authorities that they
cannot introduce their confectionery into the local market because
the Armenian Agency of Intellectual Property does not register their
trademarks. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan raised this problem
at the government on Thursday. He said a delegation from Kishinev and
the leadership of a Byelorussian confectionery had recently visited
Armenia and complained that they could not register their brands in
Armenia to sell their chocolate and cakes. "Their rival in Armenia
has registered these trademarks but does not produce.
The goal is to oust the rivals from the market. We have received
similar complaints also from Russia and Ukraine and this problem
must be settled," the prime minister said, the leadership of Kharkov
biscuits factory has recently faced the same problem with registration
of its brand in Armenia.