MOSCOW, May 21 - RAPSI, Yelena Bychkova. The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld the lower court's decision that General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS broke the law by using Olympic symbols to sell vehicles, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com).

In February, the Moscow Commercial Court ruled against the GM subsidiary, which sought to overturn the watchdog's June 23, 2011 decision and to reverse the 23.27 million ruble ($741,700) fine imposed on the company.

In June 2011, the watchdog and the Sochi-2014 Organizing Committee claimed the company was engaged in unfair competition by using Olympic symbols to sell Chevrolet cars.

One of the violations boiled down to the company naming a car color, "Olympic white."

The watchdog held that "Olympic" is a protected verbal component of the Olympic Committee's trademark registered for several goods, including motor vehicles.

The watchdog also stated that only Volkswagen Group Rus, the official partner of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, is authorized to use Olympic symbols while advertising cars in Russia.

No such agreement was made with the GM subsidiary or Chevrolet dealers.

GM Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS imports and distributes GM Korean models.