Ukraine's border guards cannot register as a trademark in the EU the insult addressed at the beginning of the war to Russian warship - "go to*uy" because it is a political slogan, the General Court of the EU said today, as quoted by Reuters.
The request was to register the trademark in Russian - РУССКИЙ ВОЕННЫЙ КОРАБЛЬ, ИДИ НА**Й and in English - RUSSIAN WARSHIP, GO F**K YOURSELF.
The history of the phrase in question is connected to the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine, when officers from the ship "Moscow" of the Russian Black Sea Fleet radioed the Ukrainian border guards stationed on the tiny Snake Island and ordered them to surrender or else be killed.
In response, the message is heard: "Russian warship, go to hell". This sentence has become a source of pride and a national slogan emblazoned on T-shirts, mugs and postage stamps.
The General Court of the EU today confirmed the decision of a lower instance. In their reasoning, the magistrates stated that "the trademark has the essential function of giving the average consumer an indication of the origin of given goods or services". In this particular case, however, it is only a matter of a "political message".
Andrii Demchenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's border guards, said his country wanted to register the trademark to prevent misuse and manipulation of the phrase. Although we are not satisfied with the decision, "we have to accept it," noted Demchenko. "However, I can assure you that the State Border Guard Service will continue to work to prevent unfair manipulations around this expression. We must preserve the symbols that demonstrate the heroism and courage of the defenders of Ukraine, including the border guards who are an integral part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Demchenko stressed.
Months after Russia seized Snake Island, it decided to withdraw its forces as a "goodwill gesture". However, according to Ukraine, the reason for this move is actually the heavy losses that Russia has suffered in an attempt to maintain its control over the island.