Buranovskiye Babushki may have used a classic peasant's oven as a prop during their performance at the Eurovision finals, but the group is not keen to let local food producers profit off their efforts.
The second-place finalists are threatening to sue two companies that want to use their brand to promote sausage and milk products.
The Izhevsk-based Komos Group filed an application to the Federal Institute of Industrial Property to register the trademarks Buranovskiye Babushki, Po-Buranovski, Buranovskiye and From Buranovo, business newspaper Marker reported.
The enterprise produces sausages, canned meat and milk products, but representatives did not comment on which of these products might be associated with the singing group.
A company from Zelenograd also wants a slice of Russia's Eurovision competitors. The trading house Neoproduct, which specializes in fermented milk products, also wants rights to the name, Marker reporter. Neoproduct could not be reached to comment on whether the company also has submitted an application to the federal patent office.
Ksenia Rubtsova, producer of Buranovskiye Babushki, told Marker that the group has not made any deals over the use of their brand and is ready to sue the companies if these products appear on the market.
Dom Lyudmili Zykinoi, the company that manages the group, registered the group's name as a trademark last year. The trademark extends to a variety of platforms, including food products.
Buranovskiye Babushki will not be able to go to court until the companies get the patents from the federal office, said Vladimir Biryulin, head of the legal department at Gorodissky & Partners.
"Right now they can only claim moral damages," Biryulin said. "There is nothing to go to court with, but they can, if they want, send a letter to Rospatent."
The maximum compensation that the group can get if the matter does go to court is 5 million rubles ($150,000), but it would be more likely for them to be awarded only 10,000 rubles as a symbolic gesture, Biryulin said.
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