Support of advertising activities

The introduction of mandatory advertising labeling requirements has further complicated the regulation of the Russian advertising market. Now more than ever, businesses must have a clear understanding of advertising regulations and ensure strict compliance to avoid regulatory fines.

A mere reading of the Russian Law on Advertising is insufficient, as the law leaves many pertinent questions unanswered. Our lawyers are here to help you navigate the hidden pitfalls of the advertising laws and regulations. Advertising is one of our core practice areas and we have a thorough understanding of the law enforcement practices employed and extensive guidance offered by the Federal Antimonopoly Service and Roskomnadzor.

Semenov&Pevzner is your trusted partner for legal services in the creative industry, offering bespoke solutions to meet your unique needs.

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Draft contracts for advertising production and placement
Draft agency and service agreements
Draft sponsorship agreements
Review open-source licenses, licenses for downloaded music tracks, 3D models, fonts, images, logos, etc
Draft contracts with bloggers, streamers, and influencers
Draft personal image/photography release forms
Draft rules of contests and promotions
Assess advertising materials for legal compliance and offer creative solutions to mitigate risks without compromising consumer appeal
Audit companies’ websites and social media pages to identify materials that can be deemed advertising
Provide expert guidance on advertising legislation, including clarification and recommendations on advertising labeling
Provide employee training and guidelines on legal issues

Megalicense, a major licensing agency representing iconic brands such as Hello Kitty, Love is..., Attack on Titan, Lady Bug, Atomic Heart, Vlad A4, and Milana Khametova. For Megalicense, we have handled an upward of 500 brand licensing transactions over the past 6 years for products and advertising and provided advertising labeling advice. To highlight some of our work, we were involved in document drafting and negotiating the following transactions:

Advised on advertising labeling requirements for social media contests and influencer collaborations

Advised on Burger King’s promotion in Russia and Belarus in collaboration with the Atomic Box brand, where customers could purchase a branded box containing food and an electronic key to unlock a computer game

Provided legal counsel on the licensing and use of Atomic Heart game characters in Hammerite paint advertising

Advised on the Vkusno & Tochka/Hello Kitty merchandise and advertising collaboration

Provided legal assistance on the collaboration between blogger Vlad A4 and Rosman Publishing House for the promotion of Screechers Wild! Toys

Advised on Vlad A4's collaboration with Burger King in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The project received several awards:
2021: Golden Bear Award, 1st place in License and Licensed Products of the Year
2023: Silver Award for Collaboration with Celebrity at E+ Awards (a competition recognizing marketing campaigns and projects with significant impact on business, society, and industry)
2023: Winner of the Russian Licensing Awards in Best Licensed Food Product Range

Provided legal counsel on licensing agreements for the use of the Love Is... and Lady Bug brands in Dodo Pizza products and promotions

Advised on the Major Grom/Cofix collaboration in connection with the Major Grom premier screenings

Advised on the Love Is... brand licensing deal for supermarket chain Pyaterochka's advertising campaign

Megalicense

Believe, a global leader in digital music distribution and promotion, operating in 50 countries to serve independent artists and labels at all stages of their development. We provided comprehensive legal counsel to Believe on a range of transactions in music, advertising, and show business, including advice on Russian legislation and advertising regulations specifically

Believe

TenLetters, a film distributor. For this long-standing client, we draft and negotiate contracts with foreign and Russian film copyright holders, channels, and streaming services. In addition to our transactional work, we advise the client on various matters, including advertising labeling

Ten Letters

A full-service advertising and video production agency. For this client, we reviewed advertising materials for legal compliance, advised on advertising matters, and provided transactional support for the creation of advertising content, websites, and mobile applications, SMM services, the purchase of creative materials from online stock platforms, promotional contests, and advertising campaigns across various media, including Internet, television, indoor and outdoor advertising

A full-service advertising and video production agency

Sync Lab, a music agency assisting producers of movies, TV series, and advertisements in selecting or recording music for their projects and securing rights to songs from labels and other rights owners. We were involved in the drafting and negotiation of legal documents for the following transactions for this client:

Licensing of Nike Borzov's track "Верхом на звезде" for the use in Tochka Bank's "Не запрещай себе мечтать" advertising campaign

Licensing the use of a track by Король и Шут band for Tinkoff Bank's advertising campaign

Production of a new audio track and clearance of rights to revise the lyrics of the retro hit "Зима-холода" for the supermarket chain LENTA promotional video

Sync Lab

Wildlife Studios, a Brazilian mobile game developer. Our engagement for this client included advice on Russian social advertising regulations and drafting documents for interactions with the Institute for Internet Development (IRI)

Wildlife Studios

For World Content Market, we conducted a website audit to identify advertising materials and provide labeling recommendations

World Content Market