Russian State Wins Back Stolichnaya Vodka Brand

19/06/06 Russian state company Soyuzplodoimport won back the rights to the Stolichnaya vodka brand from a Netherlands-based spirits company in a Dutch court this week, according to documents released on Friday.

Stolichnaya, one of Russia's best-known vodka brands along with Smirnoff, was licensed by Spirits International NV of Rotterdam for years and earned "hundreds of millions of euros" for the company and its director, Yuri Shefler, said Joris van Manen, Soyuzplodoimport's lawyer.

There was no listing for Spirits International or for Shefler. Both could not be immediately reached for comment.

In a ruling, the District Court of Rotterdam said the Russian state company that originally owned Stolichnaya had not been validly privatised. Spirits International acquired Stolichnaya after several transactions following the collapse of the Soviet Union, when state assets were being sold.

"The Russian state is still the owner of the vodka brand," van Manen said.

After winning the rights to Stolichnaya in a Russian court, Soyuzplodoimport has been producing and marketing Stolichnaya in Russia for several years. Outside of Russia, Stolichnaya is bottled in Latvia and sold worldwide by Spirits International.

"The Dutch court's decision without doubt opens a new stage in the establishment of the Russian Federation's rights to renowned Russian brands," Soyuzplodoimport said in a statement.

The ruling applies to Stolichnaya and related brands as well as Moskovskaya vodka.