Crystall/Kristall Russian vodkas-The Moscow Times

[beans]

edit to add: Ooops the title ought to be "Crystall/Kristal Russian vodkas" [never trust my typing... or proof reading!]

Soyuzplodoimport, the state company created to manage Stolichnaya, Moskovskaya and other famous vodka brands it wrested from Shefler's SPI Group in 2002, has filed a complaint against the registration of the trademark Cristall, Kommersant reported Tuesday, citing a source in the state trademark and patent agency Rospatent.

The challenge could threaten the 13 vodkas from the so-called Cristall "black label" range of premium vodkas, which are produced by Sergei Zivenko's Kristall Trade and Industrial Group, a $400 million-per-year operation based around the Kristall distillery in Kaluga.

Soyuzplodoimport argues that Zivenko's Cristall is similar to the point of confusion to one of its trademarks -- Kristal -- which is bottled in the Krasnodar region.

Full article here.

Am I the only one that has had a hard time keeping the Cristall vodka story straight? I remember we ordered it way back when, couldn't get it for a period of time while I understood it was in the midst of a large lawsuit and since was somewhat "settled."

Something with all of that Russian steeped history with Sitka (wherein I spent much of my unruly youth) has always fascinated me -- that and the rare Winter wheat and glacial water distilled four times, I think????

St. Michael's in the middle of downtown Sitka, Alaska.

Delicious vodka by the way.... Cheers!

Edited February 11, 2004 by beans (log)