Russias state-run news agency Rossiya Segodnya has applied to trademark the brand of Ekho Moskvy, the liberal radio station that was banned following the invasion of Ukraine,according to Russias Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent).Sputnik Radio, one of several Rossiya Segodnya products,took over Ekho Moskvys FM frequencies after it was taken off the air in early March 2022 for spreading false information about the Russian military.An Aug.
2, 2023, entry on Rospatents website states that a formal examination was ordered on whether to grant Rossiya Segodnya usage rights of Ekho Moskvys black-white-and-red logo.Rossiya Segodnyasaid Tuesday it filed an application for the Ekho Moskvy brand due to the expiration of this trademarks registration with its owner.Theres no point in discussing options for the future use of the brand until the state body [Rospatent] makes a decision, the agencys press service said in a statement on the messaging app Telegram.Rospatent notes that the trademark for Ekho Moskvys name expired on July 14 and its logo expires on Aug.
20.Ekho Moskvys former editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktovcompared Rossiya Segodnyas takeover bid to rewriting history textbooks.The Ekho Moskvy radio station doesnt exist on the air and on paper, but Ekho Moskvy is something serious, respectable and honest in peoples minds, Venediktovtold the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.Ekho Moskvy is part of the history of modern Russia [Authorities] deprive people of symbols, hope and memory.
And the deprivation of memory is one of the main actions taking place now, he said.Ekho Moskvy became a beacon for Russias democrats and liberals since its founding in 1990 during the Soviet Unions dying days.Taken off the air only once before during the hardline communist August Coup in 1991 the station endured even as Russia took a sharp authoritarian turn.Owned by gas giant Gazproms media arm, the station maintained a delicate balance between remaining relatively free and uncensored while keeping up its connections with the Kremlin.Venediktovs own ties to the political elite including his role in promoting a controversial electronic voting scheme for the 2021 parliamentary elections saw him reviled by much of Russias anti-Kremlin opposition.