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From McDonald's to Uncle Vanya: Is intellectual property useless in Russia?
Trademark breaches can cause longer-term economic and reputational harm
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Uncle Vanya filed an application to trademark the McDonald's logo, turned 90 degrees to the right like a toppled "M".
PHOTOS: REUTERS, SCREENGRAB FROM _AFRICANSOIL/TWITTER
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When is a trademark not a trademark? When it is being used in Russia - for now, at least.
Nowhere is this playing out more prominently than in the case of global fast-food chain McDonald's. Since the Ukraine conflict began, Macca's has closed more than 800 stores in Russia. Stepping in to take its place is Uncle Vanya. On March 12, a Russian company filed an application to trademark the McDonald's logo, turned 90 degrees to the right like a toppled "M".
