Support The Moscow Times!

Chelyabinsk Seeks Trademark as 'Meteorite Capital'

Chelyabinsk has applied to Russia's main patent service for rights to the title, "the meteorite capital."

The Chelyabinsk region wants an official trademark for use of the meteorite title in products and advertising, and the governor's administration has already submitted an application to the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks, RIA-Novosti reported Wednesday.

According to Natalya Denisova, head of the regional administration's department for special projects, the trademark would most likely be used in tourism services and cultural events, as well as publishing and video products.

"It's unlikely that we'd have a conflict of interest with Chebarkul or with businesspeople. … We're all after one main goal here: to promote a positive image of the Chelyabinsk region," Denisova said in comments carried by RIA-Novosti.

Chebarkul, a city in Chelyabinsk, was the meteorite's final destination.

A company called Patent Group submitted several other applications for trademarks, including "Mysterious Meteorite," "Urals Meteorite" and "Chebarkul Meteorite." Applicants have asked to register the trademark on a variety of products, including coffee, tea, sugar, ice cream and spices.

The Feb. 15 meteor, which NASA said measured 49 meters by 55 meters and released about 30 times as much energy as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, injured more than 1,500 and caused about 1 billion rubles ($30 million) of damage.

It was the largest reported meteor event since 1908, when a space rock exploded over Tunguska, Siberia, flattening an estimated 80 million trees over 2,150 square kilometers of taiga.

Related articles:

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more