Client
Swedish Match AB – a Swedish tobacco corporation, fully owned by Philip Morris International since 2022 – specializes in smokeless tobacco products, including snus, nicotine pouches, and chewing tobacco.
Legal Support Area
Filing and legal support for trademark registration of smokeless tobacco products.
Project Overview
Since 2023, Polikarpov Law Firm has provided comprehensive legal assistance to Swedish Match AB’s subsidiaries – Swedish Match North Europe AB and Swedish Match Denmark A/S – in securing trademark protection in Ukraine. In 2024, we filed over 10 trademark applications in Class 34 of the Nice Classification for various smokeless tobacco products, including nicotine pouches and chewing tobacco. The work continues in 2025 with new applications and expanded coverage of the client’s product range.
Client’s Goal
To secure a legally protected market entry for Swedish Match’s innovative smokeless products in Ukraine while preventing third-party misuse or imitation. The broader objective is to build a strong, enforceable trademark portfolio in the jurisdiction.
Project Complexity
Regulatory sensitivity: The products fall within a heavily regulated category under Ukrainian law (tobacco and nicotine-containing goods).
Classification challenges: The need to precisely formulate product descriptions in Class 34, particularly for items like nicotine pouches that lack clear equivalents in Ukrainian practice.
Risk of descriptiveness: Potential refusals based on lack of distinctiveness or descriptive character of certain terms used in trademarks.
Coordination with global strategy: Ukrainian trademark strategy must align with Philip Morris International’s global IP objectives.
Actions Taken by Polikarpov Law Firm
Conducted market clearance searches for similar or potentially conflicting marks.
Prepared and filed over 10 national applications in Class 34, considering local examination practices.
Handled communications with the Ukrainian IP Office to clarify product-specific terminology and address potential issues.
Advised on local labeling and marketing considerations relevant to trademark use.
Provided ongoing portfolio management and support for future filings.
Result
Over 10 applications were successfully filed and accepted for examination in 2024, with several passing both formal and substantive examination stages without objections. We established a national trademark portfolio to support brand positioning and market access. The client now has a strategic IP foundation for launching and protecting its smokeless products in Ukraine.
