With its plot twists and sheer length, the decade-old battle for the Stolichnaya vodka trademark is starting to resemble a Russian novel.
In the latest installment, on Monday a state-chartered Russian company that claims to be the rightful owner of the names Stolichnaya and Stoli survived motions to dismiss filed by a group of international beverage companies. With this 42-page decision, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan refused to toss Lanham Act trademark infringement claims asserted by Russia’s Federal Treasury Enterprise Sojuzplodoimport (FTE) and its lawyers at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.
