The Russian Patent and Trademark Office (Rospatent) has refused an appeal filed by Volkswagen against a registration of ‘Raeton’ trademark by a Chinese company in Russia.

The ‘Raeton’ trademark is owned by a Chinese automobile manufacturer Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd and registered under the 12th Nice class (vehicles) in Russia. During the hearings Volkswagen stated that the trademark in question is deceptively similar to its own ‘Phaeton’ trademark and thus should be excluded from the Russian trademark register.

In turn, the Chinese company claimed that their trademark is clearly distinctive and causes no trademark infringement. The Chinese company also stated that goods sold under the two trademarks are technically complex products and usually purchased after careful consideration due to their high cost.

The Russian Patent and Trademark Office has ruled that the two trademarks are not deceptively similar due to significant phonetical, semantical and graphical distinctness.