Trademark Dispute Involving Vacheron Constantin

Trademark Dispute Involving Vacheron Constantin

Adrienne Faurote
By Adrienne Faurote February 14, 2012

The Supreme Commercial Court will be in charge of deciding the validity of the patent agency’s decision to register a company as the owner of the Vacheron Constantin brand name.

The patent authority registered Tessir Partners Ltd. (BVI) as the holder of the “Vacheron Constantin” trademark. Vacheron Constantin was incorporated on September 17, 1755 and was acquired in 1996 by the Richemont Group.

The Moscow Commercial Court and the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals dismissed lawsuits filed by major luxury item manufacturers Switzerland Richemont International S.A. and Vasheron and Konstantin S.A. to stop the patent agency’s protection of the Vacheron Constantin trademark. The Moscow District Federal Commercial Court upheld the lower courts’ judgments.

The claim declares that Russian consumer will associate “Vacheron Constantin” when used on clothing with the watchmaker but the patent authority found the argument without merit.