The owner of the Aperol brand is seeking a ban on the import of the drink to Russia

Italian Campari is trying in court to prohibit the distributor Master-Trade from Rostov from importing and selling the alcoholic drink Aperol to Russia. The reason for the lawsuit by the world’s largest alcohol producer was the absence of an Italian bitter aperitif in the list of brands that are available for parallel import.

“Davide Campari-Milano NV, a structure of the Campari Group, appealed to the Arbitration Court of the Rostov Region. In the statement of claim, the Italian side asks to prohibit the local distributor Master-Trade from selling drinks under its Aperol brand,” writes “Kommersant”citing court documents.

The court hearing is scheduled for October 30. Campari also asks the court to take interim measures, since the company did not agree to supply the aperitif, which is prohibited for parallel import. However, the court refused this request and asked the company to confirm the violated right to the Aperol brand.

Gruppo Campari is a leader in the beverage market in Italy and Brazil. It is considered the world’s sixth largest producer of premium alcohol with the brands Aperol, Campari and Wild Turkey.

The head of WineRetail, Alexander Stavtsev, believes that it is logical for the players remaining on the market to try to “protect the territory” in this way, preventing the uncontrolled import of their drinks. Brands not on the list of parallel imports, according to Stavtsev, can enter the Russian Federation, bypassing the copyright holders.

Earlier, Armenia complained about problems with the import of cognac to the Russian Federation after the adoption of the Rome Statute. Customs officers are increasingly sending alcohol for examination. Trucks from Armenia now have to wait up to one month for results at the checkpoint.