HIC!

Kommersant reports that Soyuzplodoimport has been successful in having the terms RUSSIAN VODKA and SOVIET CHAMPAGNE recognised as commonly known marks by the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trade Marks. This will entitle the terms to an extra degree of protection. It is now expected that the company will take action against the other producers of SOVIET CHAMPAGNE (no one else seem to be producing RUSSIAN VODKA). The same company is also embroiled in a dispute concerning STOLYCHNIA for vodka.

The IPKat can’t see the French Champagne growers being too happy about this… Merpel reckons that there's a bit of a dissonance between the luxury of Champagne and associations with the Soviet era.