ST. PETERSBURG, November 22 - RAPSI. The Supreme Commercial Court has started considering an appeal filed by Baltika Breweries against lower-court judgments that found the company guilty of violating advertising law, the court reported on Tuesday.

Baltika Breweries is part of the Carlsberg Group.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service decided on January 24 that a Baltika advertisement was illegal. The case against the brewery was opened upon the request of an individual who said a Baltika advertisement contained a hint on swear words. The antimonopoly watchdog fined Baltika 100,000 rubles ($3,300) for violating advertising law.

A three-judge panel at the Supreme Commercial Court will now study the case and decide whether to pass it along to the court's presidium for reconsideration or to dismiss it outright.

Baltika operates 11 breweries in Russia and one brewery in Azerbaijan. It owns over 40 brands. Baltika exports its products to over 70 countries and accounts for 70 percent of Russian beer exports.