The Competition Law Practice Team at EPAM Law successfully defended the interests of "Nortex", a company ranked among the top 100 global distributors of chemical raw materials, in a case related to the acquisition of exclusive rights to a trademark.

Since 2016, LLC "Nortex" has been supplying pigments produced by the Chinese manufacturer OXERRA Group (formerly Cathay Industries) to Russia, investing significant resources to enhance the brand's recognition in the Russian market.

In 2024, a local trading company, a competitor of the client, registered the OXERRA designation as a trademark in Russia and began deliberately obstructing LLC "Nortex"’s operations. This included banning the import of pigments into Russia through the trademark registration in the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property (ROSPATENT) and restricting the sale of pigments marked with OXERRA within Russia.

The actions of the competitor led to substantial financial losses and damaged the client's business reputation. These circumstances prompted LLC "Nortex" to file a complaint with the Krasnodar Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia, initiating a case of unfair competition.

The EPAM Law team undertook a comprehensive effort within a short timeframe, demonstrating signs of violations and justifying the need to disregard the unfounded evidence provided by the rights holder. As a result, the FAS Commission recognised the acts of the defendant as acts of unfair competition. The ruling provides grounds for canceling the legal protection of the trademark, enabling the client to restore full operational capacity.

The project was led by the Competition Law Practice Team at EPAM Law, including Senior Associate Anastasiya Kalistratova and Junior Associate Anastasia Lebed, under the supervision of Partner Evgeny Bolshakov.