Ukraine's "Melitopol cherry" the latest target of Russian appropriation

On Friday, the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) announced the registration of a new geographical indication (GI): the "Melitopol Cherry". The popular sweet cherry is grown in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine and has been registered as a Ukrainian GI since 2020, prompting calls for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to respond to Russia's latest violation of international IP law. 

The Melitopol Cherry GI

Images from Pixabay.

Melitopol cherries (see photos here) are grown on the banks of the Molochna River near Melitopol, as well as in Melitopol, Yakymiv, and Azov districts of Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine. The cherries are characterised  by a rich aroma and taste, balanced sugar and acid content. This is due to the intense influence of the sun in the spring, the presence of deeply humus-rich clay-sandy and sandy soils on alluvial river sediments.

The development of the GI was supported by a program to promote local produce, funded by the Canadian Government and launched in 2017, which led to the establishment of the Melitopol Cherry Growers’ Association in 2019. The registration of the appellation of origin in Ukraine was finalised in September 2020.

The impact of occupation

Before the invasion, Ukraine was a major exporter of cherries to countries like Belarus, with Melitopol cherries as one of the dominant brands. The exports dropped after the Melitopol orchards in the Zaporizhzhia region were occupied in early 2022. The cherries were even used as a tool of resistance to poison Russian troops during the early months of the invasion.

Now, Rospatent has announced the registration of the name "Melitopol Cherry" as the first regional brand from the so-called "new regions of the Russian Federation" and is encouraging representatives from other Ukrainian territories (Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson) to register their regional brands with Rospatent.

The Ukrainian delegation is calling on the WIPO General Assembly, currently meeting in Geneva, to respond to Russia's misappropriation of the Melitopol Cherry GI. The Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Vitaliy Kindrativ, emphasised that “The international community will never recognise this theft. Melitopol will be liberated and Melitopol Cherry remains Ukrainian.”