EU court rules Ukraine cannot trademark Russian warship insult

Ukraine wants to use defenders’ profane defiance on merchandise; court says political slogan does not qualify.

A European Union court has ruled that Ukraine cannot trademark a profane phrase directed by border guard troops at a Russian warship in the early days of Moscow’s invasion.

The European Union’s General Court said on Wednesday that the phrase: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself” cannot be trademarked on European territory because it is a political slogan. A response to threats issued by the ship, the words have become a sign of defiance and unity for Ukrainians during the war, and have featured on a variety of merchandise.

“The phrase in question has been used very intensively in a non-commercial context” linked to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, the court said in a statement.

“It will therefore not be perceived by the relevant public as an indication of the commercial origin of the goods and services which it designates,” the judge added.

The slogan was famously directed by a Ukrainian border guard to the Russian cruiser Moskva, which wished to capture Snake Island, a tiny islet in the Black Sea.