Ukrainian Hosiery Manufacturer Fined for Unfair Competition

The Ukrainian Antimonopoly Committee has recently imposed a fine of approximately EUR 1,500 (USD 1,750) on the Ukrainian pantyhose manufacturer Anita Ko LLC for violating the Ukrainian competition protection legislation by using a confusingly similar packaging design as its competitor. Belarusian hosiery manufacturer Conte SPA JLLC initiated the proceedings, claiming that Anita Ko LLC designed the packaging for its legwear products as a copy of Conte’s packaging.

Anita Ko LLC was registered in Ukraine in 2016, while Conte SPA JLLC has been selling hosiery in Ukraine with the unique packaging under the Conte® trademark since 2014. Conte® products also have a STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® label that identifies textiles that were tested for harmful substances. While the confusingly similar packaging also bore the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® label, there was no record of Anita Ko LLC in the OEKO-TEX register of certified companies.

The Antimonopoly Committee recognized the existence of similar colors, photos, symbols, and other figurative elements, confirmed that the similarities between two packaging designs were sufficient to mislead consumers with respect to the manufacturer, and ordered Anita Ko LLC to stop using the deceptive packaging.

Prepared by: Valentyna Martynenko

For more information, please contact ukraine@petosevic.com.

Source: Ukrainian Antimonopoly Committee website