The Intellectual Property Court has terminated the legal protection in Russia of the international trademark "T-Mobile", owned by the German concern Deutsche Telekom, RIA Novosti reports. The lawsuit was filed by T-Bank, insisting that the German operator does not use the brand in the Russian Federation.
The court agreed with the plaintiff's arguments and annulled the mark for a wide range of goods and services, including financial operations, software development, precious metals, clothing, and footwear. However, regarding the second brand – T-Mobile – T-Bank was denied: the court maintained its legal protection. The T-Mobile and "T-Mobile" brands were registered in Russia in 2005 and 2006. The analytical agency Brand Finance estimated the value of Deutsche Telekom at $73.3 billion, calling it the most expensive telecom brand in the world.
For T-Bank, which is building its ecosystem around the prefix "T-", this is a precedent-setting clearing of the legal field. The court's decision removes a potentially conflicting brand from the market, which the German holding had not actually used for almost 20 years. It is curious that the plaintiff's claims did not extend to telecommunication services – the dispute was precisely over related classes.