"Alenka" is the name of an inexpensive chocolate that is widely known to Russian buyers. This fame gave rise to disputes between the two largest confectionery factories in the country. Lawyers of one of them believe that the name “Krupskaya Alenka” uses the promoted brand “Alenka”, misleading the buyer. And the other lawyers accuse competitors of misappropriation of the trademark.
The chocolate, the title of which is in dispute, is produced by the Moscow confectionery factory "Red October" and the St. Petersburg factory named after Krupskaya. Muscovites have a registration certificate for the Alenka trademark drawn up in accordance with all the rules.
Such a document is issued by the Federal Service for the Protection of Intellectual Property - Rospatent. The name of the "controversial" chocolate is somewhat different from it - "Krupskaya Alenka". Nevertheless, in March 2011, Muscovites submitted an application to the St. Petersburg branch of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS). A year later, a similar application was submitted to the Moscow branch of the same service by a St. Petersburg factory - it accused colleagues of illegal trademark registration. Now the regional offices are submitting documents on both claims to the central office of the FAS, which will have to deal with two chocolate "Alenki".
Until recently, both factories were members of the Askond Association, which unites the Russian confectionery industry. Krasny Oktyabr was part of the United Confectioners holding, and the Krupskaya factory was represented there by Orkla Brands Russia, which owns it.
But in February 2012, Orkla Brands Russia withdrew from this association, explaining its actions by the fact that Askond does not care about the interests of the industry as a whole, but only protects the interests of the United Confectioners holding. The reason, apparently, was the refusal of Rospatent to register another trademark of this company - Solnechny Kyzyl-Kum. The company believes that in this way Rospatent prevents the creation of competition for the name "Karakum", which also belongs to the factory "Krasny Oktyabr". Orkla Brands Russia is a branch of the Norwegian concern Orkla in our country.
