A JUDGE in Moscow has thrown a legal battle between AG Barr and a Russian copycat out of court - allowing Irn-Bru to retain its name.
IRN-BRU won a phenomenal legal battle against Russian copycats yesterday.
The landmark victory came in a court case which had threatened their lucrative eastern European market.
A rival had taken bosses at Irn-Bru maker AG Barr to court in Moscow in a bid to terminate their brand protection in Russia.
The move could have led to cheap imitations of Scotland’s top selling drink being sold there.
Russia is the fizzy drink’s biggest foreign market and it is the third largest selling soft drink there after Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
It is manufactured, distributed and sold by the Pepsi Bottling Group on behalf of AG Barr at a number of plants in Russia.
However, Business Investment Group Holdings, based in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, wanted to register the Irn-Bru name for themselves in the country.
The court had been asked to cancel AG Barr’s protection of the “IRON BREW, IRN-BRU, Iron Brew and PHENOMENAL” trademarks in Russia.
They claimed AG Barr had not used the trademark for more than three years and they should be given the right to take it over.
A judge at the Moscow Commercial Court threw out the lawsuit.
Last night, AG Barr said: “We will vigorously defend our trademarks in all relevant territories. The
challenge to our trademarks in Russia was no exception.”
No one from Business Investment Group Holdings was available for comment.