Over the 15 years of work in the Ukrainian and international markets, ZAMMLER GROUP has been actively developing its brand, investing time and money in the recognition and authority of the logo with the letter Z. Currently, a similar symbol is used by the Russian occupation troops who are waging full-scale war against Ukraine. The letter Z has become a symbol of war crimes and death.
Therefore, our company has decided to file a lawsuit against Russia in international courts for the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation. ZAMMLER’s requirements are as follows – to compensate for material and reputational damage caused by Russia’s actions; to prohibit the use of the trademark, to destroy manufactured images of the trademark
More than UAH 9 million has been invested in brand development over the last 4 years alone, according to ZAMMLER GROUP co-owner Viktor Shevchenko. The Z logo has appeared at company awards, souvenirs, in the press and on television.
The lawsuit from a Ukrainian private company against Russia will be the first since the beginning of the war. And the preparatory proceedings for its filing are already underway. Legal support will be provided by practising lawyer and human rights activist Oleh Bovkun. This precedent may become an example for other companies to follow, says Viktor Shevchenko:
“Unfortunately the logo we were proud of is now associated with violence and cruelty. So the occupiers have to pay dearly for this. We cannot allow them to ruin our brand and reputation, just as we cannot allow our country to be destroyed. We will fight for truth and justice. And we will spend the compensation on the revival of our state.” Shevchenko said.
Now our company is getting rid of the letter Z – we remove the film, glue it and paint it over. It will be safer for our drivers to work without it, especially considering the fact that the vehicles are involved in helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine and transporting humanitarian aid.
The symbols of the occupying army have already been recognized in Ukraine as “Russian neo-Nazi symbols of invasion used by a terrorist country.”
Lithuania and Estonia plan to ban Z symbols, there are fines in Kazakhstan, displaying ‘Z’ symbol could be a criminal act in Germany.
The trend is rapidly spreading across the business world: the Korean corporation Samsung has removed Z from the names of its smartphones, the tallest skyscraper in Latvia has snubbed the name Z-Towers, and the Swiss insurance company has removed its logo with the letter Z from social networks.
Contact for more information:
Uliana Kolodii
Head of PR ZAMMLER GROUP
u.kolodii@zammler.com.ua
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