A Dutch court seized the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya trademarks owned by the Russian government through the Federal Treasury Enterprise Sojuzplodoimport.
Trademarks seized as part of a compensation case to former Yukos Oil Company shareholders for $57 billion, which Russia should pay by the decision of the Hague Court of Appeal.
Only in January 2020, the state-owned enterprise Soyuzplodoimport won a long-standing dispute with Spirits International (SPI Group), becoming the sole legal owner of well-known vodka brands in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
“While the Russian Federation ignores international courts, we will confiscate Russian state property in accordance with the law. Claims for trademarks in the Netherlands are only the beginning,” said one of the representatives of ex-shareholders of Yukos.
The company Soyuzplodoimport announced their intention to challenge the seizure. The Russian government also challenged the decision on the compensation of damage to former Yukos shareholders.