One of the popular brands of Ukrainian mineral water was recognised as counterfeit
This was reported by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine fined the producer of natural mineral table water "Karpatskaya Dzherelna" 9,422,082 UAH for spreading false information about the origin of its products.
As established by the Committee, the company disseminated inaccurate information about the origin of the water. In particular, such information was contained on product labels and on the manufacturer's official website.
The case was opened following a complaint from a consumer.
During the proceedings, the Antimonopoly Committee drew on expert data from scientific institutions, including the Western Scientific Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, the state scientific and production enterprise Kartografiya, and the Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Experts reported that the Pivdenno-Strutynske deposit, from which water of this brand is extracted, as well as the village of Strutyn in the Lviv region, do not belong to the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians.
In addition, the Committee investigated how consumers perceive the information on the labels.
The survey results showed that the name "Karpatskaya Dzherelna" (Carpathian Spring), together with images of mountains, fir trees and a map marked "Carpathians", could create the impression that the water comes from this region.
The Antimonopoly Committee noted that such presentation of information could give the manufacturer an unfair competitive advantage over other producers and sellers of natural mineral table water.
During the proceedings, Karpatski Mineralni Vody LLC announced its intention to change the design of its labels.
The company plans to clearly indicate that Karpatskaya Dzherelna is only a trademark and not an indication of the region of origin of the water. However, products with the new design have not yet been put into circulation.
Following the consideration of the case, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine recognised the company's actions as a violation of Article 15-1 of the Law of Ukraine "On Protection against Unfair Competition" and ordered it to cease the violation.
