Sorainen has advised Moomin Characters Oy Ltd, a company established by Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson that is responsible for Moomin copyright and trademark protection, in pre-trial proceedings regarding a copyright infringement issue.
Tove Jansson created most of the Moominvalley characters in her books in 1945-1946.
According to Sorainen, “a legal and commercial issue arose from unauthorized usage of Moomin characters by a local infringer, who used them in the manufacture of hand-made toys which [were] then sold in Belarus and abroad.” The firm reports that it "prepared a cease and desist notice and arranged for signing an undertaking to prevent future usage of the client’s IP rights by the infringer. We relied on the first editions of books about Moomins and various copyright registration certificates to prove the copyright and to establish a solid legal position. As a result, the case was settled amicably at the stage of pre-trial proceedings."
The Sorainen team included Senior Associate Marina Golovnitskaya and Associate Yauheni Budchanka.
