Russian patterns characteristic of folk crafts can be registered as trademarks, according to «News». With such a proposal, representatives of the Association of Art Industry Market Participants and National Union of Folk Arts and Crafts addressed the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

If the idea comes to life, manufacturers will have to pay royalties to design their products. The authors of the initiative believe that in this way it will be possible to effectively combat counterfeiting, as well as attract additional money to the budget. President of the Association of Art Industry Market Participants, Irina Egorova, in an interview with Izvestia, noted that they offer to register the right to trademarks to the state represented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

"There will be grounds for making claims to those who illegally produce products. Unfortunately, there are no barriers at customs yet, and such goods come from China and Turkey. After registration, customs will be able to keep out products that are similar to the degree of confusion," Egorova said.

Now the names «Gzhel», «Khokhloma», «Zhostovo» are registered as the name of the place of origin of the goods. However, this registration does not effectively combat counterfeiting, so there was a proposal to register recognizable patterns as trademarks. Companies that decide to use them will have to buy a license. The state's income may amount to 300 million rubles a year, the authors of the initiative believe.

Photo: RIA "News"