MOSCOW, October 18 - RAPSI. On October 30, The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals will hear the BusinessInvestGroup's appeal of the refusal to prematurely terminate legal protection enjoyed in Russia by the Scotch A.G. Barr PLC trademark, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) on Thursday.

A.G. Barr PLC is the manufacturer of the popular soft drink Irn-Bru.

The BusinessInvestGroup holding company sought to void the trademark protection for the IRON BREW, IRN-BRU, Iron Brew and PHENOMENAL brand names. The court ruled against the lawsuit on August 7.

The holding company filed an appeal with the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks on the registration of the Irn-Bru trademark. The fact that the trademarks belong to A.G. Barr PLC has complicated the registration process.

The company sought to terminate the legal trademark protection for the Scottish company, as the trademarks had not been used in Russia for three years.

The plaintiff has filed nearly a dozen similar lawsuits against other firms, including Heineken, Barrel Holdings, Bashspirt and Ivan Taranov Breweries (Cyprus).

According to media reports, BusinessInvestGroup's owner Azamat Ibatullin has filed applications with the patent agency to register numerous well-known brands, including Analgin, Playboy, Dr. Pepper, Orbit, and Stimorol.