VIMPELCOM’S PR-CAMPAIGN FOR PROMOTION OF BEELINE CELLULAR BRAND IN ARMENIA MAY TURN INTO SERIOUS SCANDAL

arminfo
2007-06-14 01:03:00

VimpelCom’s PR-campaign for promotion of its trademark Beeline in
Armenia may create problems with reputation and turn into a serious
scandal as the company hasn’t yet received an official right to use
this cellular brand in Armenia.

ArmInfo learned from reliable sources that ArmenTel company, Armenia’s
phone monopolist, that was purchased by VimpelCom from the OTE company
(Greece) in 2006, has faced the problem with egistration of trademark
Beeline, because this name is completely consonant with the firm-name
of Bi Line Co.Ltd, which is the largest company engaged in sales
of computer equipment and IT solutions in Armenia and juridically
owns the identical Bi Line brand. Bi Line refused to provide ArmInfo
correspondent with any details on the situation. The company just
expressed indignation at the behavior of the Russian company, which
actually evaded the legislation and the acknowledged standards of
conduct of business and started promoting in Armenia a trademark not
belonging to it through official statements of VimpelCom leadership
and, probably, ordered "image" publications.

Moreover, a fragment of commercial telling about Beeline in Armenia has
been telecast on some domestic Russian channels for several times. At
the same time, the source did not deny the information about unofficial
meetings with the leadership of VimpelCom and ArmenTel initiated by
the Russian side on this problem. At the same time it could hardly
call these meetings negotiations. President and Co-founder of Bi Line
Co. Ltd Hayk Khanjyan told ArmInfo.

At the same time, ArmenTel Press Secretary Hasmik Chutilyan stated that
normal negotiations are underway on the given problem. However, she
has no information on registration of Beeline brand in the category
of. In the meanwhile, according to reliable information, ArmenTel
has registered this trademark in the category in Armenia and has a
right to disseminate them as Beeline Armenia. It is still a secret
why the new news source of Beeline disseminates news exclusively on
the telecommunication brand.

Talking to ArmInfo, experts well-informed of such problems supposed
that VimpelCom refuses from making official proposals, probably,
thinking it unnecessary applying unwritten rules of civilized business
to the Armenian market and preferring levers of influence. The most
harmless of them may become the promoting the brand to make the rival
that is weaker with its agree with its factual defeat in this.