Bucha Kombucha. Brands will be prohibited from speculating on war

The Verkhovna Rada registered bill No. 9128, which prohibits the use of war symbols in trademark names and in advertising.

In the run-up to a full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine was flooded with situational advertising of various war-related brands. You have probably come across many examples of inappropriate use of military and patriotic memes, phrases and slogans. The Verkhovna Rada decided to fight it.

War hype

One of the most famous examples of such marketing is Pobedy Seeds from TM Seeds of Ukraine. Here you have Hymars carrots, and Azovstal radish and zucchini Phantom of Kyiv.

Heroic Bucha Kombucha is a non-alcoholic fermented drink made from sweet tea mixed with a culture of bacteria and yeast. It is produced by a company from Irpen, Kyiv region, which produces drinks from kombucha. On social networks, the company’s decision to give the drink such a name was compared to the use of the names of Nazi concentration camps on labels.

In Kyiv, beer is sold under the name Heroes do not die. Military imagery has even been used on pita bread labels and in advertising for hair removal.

What do MPs suggest?

“It is unfortunate that in marketing communications, manufacturers of consumer goods and services make inappropriate use of the tragic events of the war, the names of the affected cities, patriotic appeals and slogans of military. We are talking about the registration of trademarks for alcoholic beverages, food products, and other goods, about the names of promotions for customers, advertising slogans that use or playing with military subjects in a careless, and sometimes unacceptable way,” the explanatory note says in the bill.

The authors of the bill propose to prohibit the registration of trademarks that use:

– names of military events;

– the names of settlements and cities that suffered from Russian aggression or became symbols of stability and heroism during a massive war (except when such names are used in addresses, as well as in advertising of trademark registered before February 24, 2022);

– names of battles and military operations;

– names of weapons and military equipment;

– names of military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations;

official greeting of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A similar ban is proposed to be introduced for advertising. At the same time, the restrictions will not apply to the advertising of films, books or videos dedicated to the events of the war released by Russia.