Rights to the "Zhirinovsky" Mark For Sale in Russia

Who is Zhirinovsky? Vladimir Zhirinovsky is the founder and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vice-Chairman of the State Duma, and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. For 77 million rubles, approximately three million dollars, you can buy the right to the "Zhirinovsky" mark to stick on a bottle of vodka. But Zhirinovsky himself is not selling this mark. He gave the rights to his name to a Moscow businessman named Sergei Kuznetsov in 1994. When Kuznetsov obtained the rights, he did not pay any money for the mark because Zhirinovsky simply wanted to publicize his name for political gain.

In addition to vodka, Zhirinovsky's name appears on several household products, including cigarettes, after shave, ice cream and mayonnaise. Kuznetsov is selling a total of eight trademarks that bear Zhirinovsky's name, including the diminutive form "Zhir." Despite Zhirinovsky’s popularity, products that bear family names are losing marketability in Russia because consumers are more concerned about the quality of the products than any family name that appears on the product. Regardless, for three million dollars, you can use the name of a leading Russian politician who has previously been involved in bloody fistfights in the State Duma to sell your own brand of vodka.