Russian company trademarks Trump vodka

Ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next year, one St Petersburg-based company is hoping to capitalise on the occasion by trademarking a vodka named in honour of the incoming 47th President of the US.

The Russian public is largely in favour of Trump, who stormed to victory against Kamala Harris in this month’s election. According to one survey undertaken just prior to the election, five times as many Russians said that they favoured Republican nominee Trump than those who expressed a preference for the current Vice President.

Given this relative popularity, and the restrictions international drinks giants face when trying to export to Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, the market may well be ripe for a spirit that can make vodka great again.

Technology solutions company RAU IT has filed a trademark application for Trumpovka through Rospatent, Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property, according to The Moscow Times.

The drinks industry is not RAU IT’s usual territory, with the company instead focused on providing software for businesses across Russia.

“We thought that, amid the hype around the US Presidential election, some alcohol manufacturers might start producing vodka with a name similar to Donald Trump’s,” said a RAU IT spokesperson.

“To prevent this, we preemptively applied for the ‘Trumpovka’ trademark, ensuring that the news story wouldn’t be exploited by companies aiming to boost alcohol sales through sensational headlines,” they added.

As reported in The Moscow Times, RAU IT has no plans to launch Trumpovka imminently, though apparently the branding might be extended to soft drinks as well.

President-elect Trump does not actually drink alcohol, but his return as President does present significant issues for the alcoholic beverage industry, particularly when it comes to the topic of tariffs.

This is not the only vodka-related Rospatent application to make headlines recently, with Kremlin-backed singer Yaroslav Yuryevich Dronov, known by his stage name Shaman, filing to trademark the term “Ya Russky” (“I’m Russian”) for alcoholic beverages, household goods and sex toys.

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