The lawsuit against a company that illegally uses the word "Essentuki" in its name contains a demand for compensation in the amount of 2 billion rubles.
The Arbitration Court of the Stavropol Territory received an application containing a claim for the recovery of material damage for the illegal use of the name "Essentuki". The submitter of the application was LLC Testi, a member of the Aqua Holding group, which owns the intellectual rights to the Essentuki designation used. The respondent in the filed lawsuit indicates the Stary Istochnik Water Company, which represents the Essentuki No. 4 mineral water brand on the market.
According to Akva Holding, the producer of mineral waters "Stary Istochnik" used the name of the place of origin of the goods, which is the word "Essentuki", confusingly similar to the original. In court, the plaintiff intends to prove that buyers of fakes have strong associations with the original product. The amount of damage in this case is determined in the amount of 2 billion rubles. The first court session will take place on October 14.
This is the first lawsuit of this kind from Aqua Holding, which is a manufacturer of mineral water brands such as Essentuki No. 4 and Essentuki No. 17. In the future, the company intends to actively protect its rights to use the appellation of origin, otherwise buyers may have doubts about the quality of the original product and the brand will be associated with products of low quality and characteristics.