MOSCOW, March 22 - RAPSI. The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld the lower court's decision to charge a large fuel company $103,000 for illegally using the Rosneft oil company's trademark.

The Moscow Commercial Court partially held for Rosneft in its lawsuit, but reduced the claim to 3 million rubles ($103,000) from 5 million rubles ($171,000). The EKA-AZS fuel company challenged the decision in the appeals court, but the court dismissed the appeal.

The parties told the court that they entered into a franchise agreement in 2005 for a term of five years, under which EKA-AZS paid $1,000 for the right to use Rosneft's trademarks to sell fuel at 40 filling stations.

Rosneft maintains that the defendant illegally used the trademarks for five months after the contract expired on September 29, 2010.

EKA-AZS was founded in 1992. It is engaged in oil products retail and wholesale distribution, the company's website reads.