RT noticed that the “Support Service” created by the ex-editor of Afisha, and subsequently one of the leaders of Meduza** Ilya Krasilshchik, uses a logo reminiscent of the brand of the famous charitable organization Rusfond.
In a conversation with RT, partner of the law firm Nevsky IP Law, patent attorney Kirill Mityagin confirmed the similarity of the graphic marks, calling them “confusingly similar”
“Both symbols represent a hand with the same direction of movement. The drawing itself is also similar - a black and white picture made with a single line,” he explained.
At the same time, the expert clarified that if Rusfond files a claim, a set of factors will be assessed, including “an analysis of types of activities, examples of use and the intensity of this use.”
However, even in this case, the fund’s potential lawsuit in court has enough grounds to win the case.
“In our opinion, given the similar scope of activity
(of the two organizations - RT),
there is a high probability that the court will recognize these designations as confusingly similar,” concluded Mityagin.
RT turned to Rusfond with a request to comment on the expert’s conclusions. The general director of the organization, Sergei Ambinder, in correspondence with the editors, emphasized that the foundation’s logo “is a trademark registered in the Russian Federation, protected in the Russian Federation,” but refused to comment promptly.
“We cannot comment on the situation with the coincidence within the specified period,” concluded Sergei Ambinder.
Rusfond was created by Sergei Ambinder’s father, journalist Lev Ambinder, and the Kommersant Publishing House in 1996. The image of a hand on the Rusfond logo is associated with the history of a now defunct building in Moscow, which previously housed the editorial office of Kommersant. The entrance to it was decorated with a door with a bronze handle in the shape of a palm open for a handshake.
The Foundation previously used this symbol as its logo in a realistic design, and in the 2010s replaced it with a more stylized version, which was patented by 2017. Based on the latest available reporting for 2022, Rusfond’s annual fees amounted to more than 1.5 billion rubles. The organization is one of the 15 largest charitable foundations in the Russian Federation.
“Support Service” operates in the same charitable segment as “Rusfond”, but positions itself as a resource “dedicated to people affected by the war that Russia unleashed in Ukraine.” The project logo is presented on the website and social networks.
RT contacted Rusfond with a request to comment on the expert’s conclusions, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Earlier, RT reported that the “Support Service” project, opened by Ilya Krasilshchik, received €785 thousand from foreign sponsors in 2022. The Dyer himself was sentenced in absentia in Russia to eight years in prison in the case of fakes about the Russian Armed Forces.
* The organization is recognized as undesirable by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
** A media outlet recognized as a foreign agent by decision of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. The organization was recognized as undesirable by decision of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation.