Last month the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine ruled against a local company named Rehau Manufacturing Company for registering and using a company name and domain name confusingly similar to that of its competitor — Rehau's Ukrainian branch Rehau Ukraine.
In December 2015, Rehau Ukraine filed an unfair competition claim based on prior trademark rights. The companies are both based in Kyiv, have the word "Рехау" (Rehau in Cyrillic) in their names, and are competitors in the field of production and sale of PVC windows.
Rehau Manufacturing Company, owned by two individuals, was established and registered in 2015, while Rehau Ukraine was founded in 2002 and owns various Rehau trademarks in Ukraine, which were granted protection prior to 2015.
The Antimonopoly Committee decision states that the defendant should stop using the Rehau trademark, both in its company and domain name.
The decision can be appealed before the Commercial Court of Kyiv.
Prepared by: Olga Goncharova
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.