Forty-degree leaders: a Kuban cognac producer has filed an application with Rospatent to register the "Lenin" and "Stalin" brands.
JSC Novokubanskoye is going to release These brands include aperitifs, brandies, wines, whiskey, vodka, gin, liqueurs, and other alcoholic beverages—except beer. But it's not a given that they'll succeed.
"Rospatent often interprets the commercial registration of such a name as potentially defamatory and refuses it, especially if there are objections from heirs or interested parties," считает Lawyer Dmitry Vengersky.
The interested parties here are obvious: the Communist Party of the Russian Federation is unlikely to tolerate such liberal use of its leaders' names. Although, for some reason, the French aren't the least bit offended by Napoleon cognac. And Putinka vodka sells quite well in Russia.
So why not drink a glass or two of Lenin or Stalin to the victory of the world revolution?