Happyland Patents Fruit Flavors...

As if the registration of trademarks and brand names wasn't enough of a problem in the ex-Soviet countries, vodka producer, Happyland, has registered with Rospatent the rights to several fruit flavors, including melon and strawberry, used in its low-alcohol drinks.

Happyland is known for its somewhat innovative business strategies. The flavors in question are for its low- alcohol 'cocktails' such as Dinny Aroma, advertised as having 'just the taste of vodka'. Happyland's main product is vodka but while TV advertising of spirits is forbidden, the company has managed to get away with a USD 150,000 advertising campaign for these 'taste of vodka' drinks. It also produces a low-alcohol rum and cola drink. It solemnly assures the authorities that it advertises these drinks for the benefit of sportsmen, drivers and pregnant women.

Rospatent has agreed that a taste can be registered, and so Happyland has recently warned its competitors that there will be court action if they continue production of cocktails with any of its registered flavors.

Two of Happyland's smaller competitors question the registration - Alexi Surin of Etalon M and Sergey Sanne of Bravo both wonder how the taste of melon, for instance, can be defined. Melons from Moldova and Turkmenistan have quite different tastes - as do different types of melon. Etalon M began producing flavored low-alcohol drinks a few months after Happyland, but has now stopped production. Bravo has also produced cocktails, and registered its logo in 1984. Ochakovo that, according to Business Analitika, has 60% of the low alcohol cocktails market overall, has not made an official response to Happyland's latest tactic.

Alexey Fedotor, General Manager at Happyland, is confident that its flavor registration will prevent the competition from cashing in on the idea, claiming that, since the taste of Coca-Cola is copyright, why not his fruit flavors?

Concise B2B