OREANDA-NEWS  The activity of foreign businesses in Russia has exceeded the pre-sanctions level, companies from China, Belarus and the UAE are active, according to a study by VTB together with Online Patent.

"In 2024, the number of applications for registration of foreign trademarks exceeded the pre-sanctions level by 18%. Companies from China and Belarus are particularly active in the Russian market, as well as new players who did not register marks until 2022, for example, from the UAE," the study says.

It is noted that in the total volume of applications from foreign companies over the past five years, every tenth relates to the field of electronics, another 8% accounts for wholesale and retail trade, about 7% for cosmetics. The top 5 areas of activity include the fashion industry and pharmaceuticals, with 6% each among applications.

It is also reported that since 2022, the activity of Chinese companies has increased particularly: the number of their trademark applications in 2022-2024 has doubled compared to 2020-2022. The leading brands are in the electronics category (16%), followed by clothing (8%) and machinery, machine tools and engines (8%).

According to the research materials, the Belarusian business has also expanded its presence by submitting twice as many trademark applications. The largest number of applications were submitted in the wholesale and retail trade (12%), followed by confectionery and groceries (8%), cosmetics and dairy products (7% each).

As part of the study, experts analyzed applications from foreign companies and individuals submitted for trademark registration to Rospatent over the past five years. In total, during this period, non-residents issued about 50,000 applications. In 2022, their number decreased by a quarter compared to 2021, to 7.6 thousand. In 2024, the number of applications amounted to 11.8 thousand and exceeded the pre-sanctions level by 18%.