Maria Samartseva, counsel and head of the IP litigation practice at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan & Partners (RGP), spoke at the conference, sharing with her colleagues and students the insights of anti-counterfeiting work in the fashion industry; subtleties to be borne in mind while developing the protection strategy; safeguards; common misconceptions of the right holders; opportunities – often not the most obvious ones – offered by the Russian laws; and precautions against possible breaches which may be taken at a particular stage, from the time when an idea appears and is implemented, with the first product and/or package sketches being produced, until the relevant IP rights become protected and the product sales are launched, both online and offline.

Maria also spoke about the specific aspect of the case Facebook and Gucci v N. Kokhtenko (a Russian entrepreneur) before the US District Court for the Northern District of California, pointing out the similarities and differences in the anti-counterfeiting approaches in the US and Russia and describing the specifics of US copyright regulation.

Other topics discussed at the conference were Legal Nature of Fashion: an Art of a Craft?; Law vs Statute: Why Did Recycling Sow Seeds of Division?; Digitalization of Fashion Rights; and Advertising Law in the Fashion Industry.

The discussion was moderated by Alexandra Bakhtiozina, lawyer at Hogan Lovells’ IPMT practice, with Evgeny Leskonog, head of Conde Nast’s legal department, appearing as another key speaker at the event.

Maria Samartseva commented, “Anti-counterfeiting in such segments as Fashion and Digital Fashion, Luxury and Consumer is one of the priorities in our IP practice, since, on the one hand, it helps to boost the consumer awareness and develop the industry, while, on the other hand, it minimises threats to the economy, decreases the illegal turnover of goods and the right holders’ losses and is one of the most highly sought-after legal practices, including in digital law. I am very much excited about developing the relevant practice at RGP, since fashion and law are an indispensable part of my life.

We are closely following IP and digital legal developments and advise our Russian and foreign clients on the cross-border aspects of anti-counterfeiting, bearing in mind the location of the business and production facilities, the development of distribution networks and marketing channels and the business development prospects.

Also, we always strive to be one step ahead, offering our clients the most efficient and actionable tools, having regard to the possible scenarios.

We are always happy to work with new clients!”

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Rybalkin, Gortsunyan & Partners (RGP) is a fast-paced law firm of the next generation, combining a leading Russian practice focusing on international dispute resolution and a high-end corporate practice servicing complex transactions and projects.

We support clients from all over the world in their business dealings in our key practice areas involving Russia and CIS countries. In addition, our firm offers unparalleled expertise in foreign legal matters to Russian companies with significant international presence.

We are a cohesive team of seasoned professionals with a background in leading international law firms.

Our lawyers have worked on the largest corporate deals, investigations and disputes in the history of modern Russia and represented Russian companies in over 170 jurisdictions worldwide.

Contact person:

Maria Bannova
mbannova@rgp.legal
+7 (495) 139 65 00