Cherkizovo to donate court-awarded compensations to charity

Cherkizovo Group, Russia’s largest meat producer, will be allocating 25% of redress payments by companies committing trademark infringement against the Company’s brands to charitable initiatives. This will enable Cherkizovo to add millions of rubles to its charity funds.

In 2023, Cherkizovo Group prevailed in eleven intellectual property court cases against companies that engaged in unauthorized use of the Group’s trademarks in meat production. Cherkizovo’s lawyers made sure illegitimate meat production was discontinued, with defendants ordered to pay a total of over RUB 200 million in redress (the largest court-awarded compensation reached as much as RUB 32 million).

Cherkizovo Group’s senior management resolved that, starting 2024, 25% of redress payments received by the Company as a result of similar legal proceedings will be allocated to charity. «We expect that, just like last year, in 2024 our lawyers will be working on a handful of cases related to unauthorized use of Cherkizovo Group’s intellectual property. We seek to put the results of our legal battles to good use and allocate some of the sums we recover from unscrupulous manufacturers to supporting social projects and charitable funds,» said Anastasia Mikhailova, Head of Communications at Cherkizovo Group.

Cherkizovo Group runs various charitable initiatives in 18 Russian regions where it operates. The Company contributes to repairs and improvements of social infrastructure (children’s educational facilities, sports, cultural and historical facilities, as well as recreation areas), supports vulnerable social groups (veterans, multi-child families, people with serious diseases, and others), finances sporting events, and helps organize local festivities. In 2023, Cherkizovo’s corporate charity spending amounted to RUB 69 million.