Legal battle for a brand: restaurateur Igor Sukhomlin sues Galya Baluvana for breach of contract
29 May 21:47
Ihor Sukhomlyn, a well-known Ukrainian restaurateur and founder of the Baluwana Galya trademark, has filed a lawsuit against the Cooking at Home company and several franchisees operating under the Baluwana Galya brand.
The reason is a violation of the terms of the official agreement on the use of the brand, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
The lawsuit was registered in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions.
The defendants include the company “Cooking at Home” owned by Alla Telig, the owner of the chain of convenience stores, as well as several franchisees: Yulia and Mykola Yakymuk, Oleksandr Samura and Liudmyla Marynych.
In a commentary to Delo.ua, Ihor Sukhomlyn said that he was waiting for the date of the court hearing to be set. According to him, the lawsuit was filed against those who have the largest number of outlets in Kyiv, which makes it possible to collect evidence more efficiently.
In his statement, the restaurateur demands that the court order the defendants to stop using the brand in violation of the terms of the contract, in particular, to expand the range of products beyond the permitted limits. Sukhomlin did not disclose the amount of possible compensation.
History of the conflict between Baluvana Halya and Halya Baluvana
The Baluvana Halya trademark belongs to Sukhomlyn and was registered in 2007. In 2019, stores under the name “Galya Baluvana” began to open in Lutsk, which led to a legal conflict.
In 2021, the parties signed an official agreement that allowed the brand to be used only within the 30th class of goods (with a clear list of products).
However, according to Sukhomlyn, the partners eventually began to go beyond the agreement. At the moment, he says that this is only the first lawsuit – legal action against other franchisees who, in his opinion, also violate the terms of cooperation is possible in the future.
