Russian Tech Company Files Trademark for Donald Trump Vodka

(Photo: ROMAN ODINTSOV/Pexels)

According to a trademark filing obtained by the RBC Business Daily on Sunday, a Russian tech company is laying the groundwork for a vodka brand inspired by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. The liquor’s name? “Trumpovka.”

The application for the Trump vodka was submitted by RAU IT, a St. Petersburg-based digital solutions firm that works with names like Lukoil and Marchelas clothing. Reports indicate that the company has no previous experience in the beverage industry. It should be noted that RAU IT’s proposal is distinct from Trump Vodka, a separate venture launched in 2005 and eventually discontinued in 2011.

In lieu of Trump Vodka’s golden capital “T” logo, the Trumpovka filing shows a shadowy silhouette of the President-elect playing the accordion. The logo appears to reference a 2017-era meme in which accordions are superimposed onto Trump’s gesticulating hands. Go figure.

(Photo: Federal Institute of Industrial Property)

RAU IT told RBC that it has no “immediate plans” to launch the product, adding that it aims only to protect the brand name from competitors who might capitalize on the concept.

“We thought that on the wave of hype around the US presidential elections, some alcohol producers would start producing vodka that sounds like Donald Trump’s name,” the company said. “That’s why we preemptively filed an application for the ‘Trumpovka’ trademark so that the news item wouldn’t play into the hands of companies that want to boost alcohol sales with the help of the big news.”

The company instead plans to create a line of Trump-branded sports drinks geared towards IT specialists, marketers and designers who require “necessary microelements” for their sedentary work.

Whether or not this proves true, RAU IT’s filing goes above and beyond to ensure its exclusive use.

Apart from vodka, the trademark application covers a laundry list of alcoholic beverages including aperitifs, brandy, wine, whiskey, cider, rum, gin and mead. The list of non-alcoholic products mentioned in the filing stretches nearly three times as long. In addition to usual suspects like soda and lemonade, the filing makes note of tomato juice, sarsparilla, peanut milk and orgeat syrup.

Legislative Liquor

(Photo: Putinka Russian Vodka)

Politician-inspired alcohol brands have proven something of a trend within Russia over the past few decades.

Trumpovka’s closest relative is Putinka, a vodka launched in homage to President Vladimir Putin in 2003. Within months, marketer Stanislav Kaufman had a bonafide hit on his hands. Politico reports that Putinka is now one of the best-selling vodkas in the country, producing over eight million bottles per month and $500 million in profits per year. The brand is owned by billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, a gas and electricity magnate often referred to by The New York Times as a close confidante of Putin. 

Some have contended that Putinka amounts to little more than propaganda. In May 2022, the brand reportedly adopted a label change that read “We don’t abandon our own” in support of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Radio Free Europe reports that the company also owns the rights to “Commendatore Muammar,” a liquor label commemorating slain Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi.