Russia sanctions force attorneys into tricky positions

18-05-2023

Tom Phillips

Russia sanctions force attorneys into tricky positions

Tikhonova Yana / Shutterstock.com

War in Europe has created a complex international sanctions regime, but what if the senior managers don’t want to exit a market? Tom Phillips finds out more.

The sanctions that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine landed multinational brands in a complex and troubling legal landscape, lawyers heard yesterday (May 17) at the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting. 

“Brand owners are now essentially besieged with sanctions lists and decisions that regulatory bodies are making. And are required to comply with those mandates on an almost instantaneous basis,” explained David Kappos, partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, who moderated a panel discussion on Managing IP assets in today’s regulated global environment.

“Not a lot of time is necessarily given to reach compliance, and that compliance involves management of IP assets, involving registration, use, distribution, and enforcement. 


sanctions, David Kappos, Russia, trademark, Ant Group, Eleanor Merrett, Serena Lim, INTA 2023, Ukraine, multinational brands, IP assets, regulation

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