At the WIPO forum, Ukraine opposed Russia's illegal registration of Melitopol cherries

The Ukrainian delegation at the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) protested Russia's illegal appropriation of the geographical indication "Melitopol Cherry". This initiative, noted in the message of the Ministry of Economy, is part of systematic violations of international standards in the field of intellectual property.

The Federal Service for Intellectual Property of the Russian Federation (Rospatent) announced the registration of the "Melitopol cherry" brand on July 12, 2024, marking it as the first registration of a regional brand in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which is actually part of the Zaporizhia region.

It is reported that Rospatent also called on representatives of other temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine, in particular Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, to register their brands in order to promote them on the markets.

Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Vitaly Kindrativ condemned Russia's actions as unacceptable and expressed his belief that the international community does not recognize such steps as legitimate. He emphasized that the illegal use of geographical indications of Ukraine, starting with the occupation of Crimea in 2014, is a systematic violation of international law.

The Ministry of Economy also notes that Russia previously illegally registered Crimean wines such as "Balaklava", "Magarach", "Novy Svit" and "Meganom" as geographical indications of the Russian Federation, although they are of Ukrainian origin.

Currently, Ukraine is actively promoting its evidence and position at international forums in order to defend its rights in the field of intellectual property and calls on the world community to join in supporting Ukrainian interests.