The Intellectual Property Court has officially granted “Cherkizovo,” a prominent Russian meat producer, the esteemed status of a well-known trademark in Russia. This recognition applies to key products such as ham, sausages, pork, and pork semi-finished products.
The court`s ruling also invalidated a decision by Rospatent (the Federal Service for Intellectual Property) from November 19, 2024, which had previously denied Cherkizovo Group this very status.
In December 2023, PJSC “Cherkizovo Group” initiated legal proceedings, seeking to have its word mark “Cherkizovo” recognized as a well-known trademark within Russia for specific products in a single international classification class: namely, ham, various sausage products, pork, and pork convenience foods.
To substantiate the widespread recognition of its brand, Cherkizovo presented comprehensive data. This included production and sales volumes spanning all federal districts of Russia and several international markets, revenue figures (184.3 billion rubles in 2022), advertising expenditures (over 950 million rubles in 2022), and results from social surveys demonstrating high consumer awareness of the group`s products and brand.
Rospatent`s initial decision acknowledged that, according to Nielsen research, Cherkizovo`s market share in monetary terms was 11.9% in 2022 and 11.3% in 2023, positioning the company as the second-largest meat producer in the Russian Federation. Despite these impressive figures, the agency, in its November 19, 2024 ruling, declined to grant the brand well-known status.
The agency explained its refusal by stating that the product descriptions submitted by Cherkizovo were “broad generic concepts.” For instance, “sausage products” could encompass a wide variety of distinct items, such as boiled, semi-smoked, smoked, cooked-smoked sausages, liver sausages, brawn, and jellied products. Rospatent argued that these diverse categories of goods could be perceived as heterogeneous groups, making it impossible to establish widespread recognition for the general term “sausage products.” Similar reasoning was applied by the agency to other product categories listed by the Cherkizovo Group.
Consequently, the brand owner petitioned the court to overturn Rospatent`s decision.
Cherkizovo Group stands among the leaders in the Russian markets for chicken, turkey, pork, and processed meat products, and is also the country`s largest producer of animal feed. The primary shareholder is the family of Cherkizovo`s founder, Igor Babaev, with Spain`s Grupo Fuertes holding an 11.12% stake, and a free float of approximately 2.4%. Other well-known brands under the group include “Petelinka” and “Pava-Pava.”
August 1, 2025
