Trademark: how folk crafts are developing in Russia
The International Day of the Craftsman is celebrated on March 30. In our country, about a hundred products of folk art crafts are registered as regional brands, Rospatent told Izvestia. Most of them are in the Ryazan, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions. About what crafts there are in Russia and how they become the hallmark of a particular area — in the material of Izvestia.
What regional brands are there in Russia?
In Russia, almost a hundred handicrafts are considered regional brands, Rospatent told Izvestia. These are a variety of products, from traditional costumes and toys to musical instruments and household items.
Vologda lace
The history of the Institute of regional brands in Russia began with the adoption of the Trademark Law in 1992, where the term "appellation of origin" (NMPT) first appeared as a special category of protected intellectual property.
The law specified what could be attributed to NMPT, how the examination should be conducted and how the appellation of origin could be used. The first three registered names were related to handicrafts. These are an openwork pattern or ornament made of the finest metal wire "Krasnoselskaya scan", blue painting on white porcelain "Gzhel" and antique "Vologda lace".
Until 2020, the main way to give legal protection to folk art was to register it as an NMPT. However, the name of the place of origin of the goods has a number of criteria, without which it is impossible to register the object.
Six years ago, Russia amended the Civil Code, adding a new legal concept, "geographical indication," based on the experience of other countries. There are no such strict criteria for products for which protection is sought as for agricultural products at the place of production of the product and the conclusion of the authorized body on its properties is not required. Stable associative links with the region and the reputation of the product are important here.
For example, the Bashkir down shawl (debit shawl) and the Bashkir Palace (aaly Bala) are registered as geographical indications.
— Over the past three years, the registration of folk art products as regional brands has begun to rise. The growing interest in national cultures may contribute to the emergence of even more ethnic geographical indications and names of the places of origin of goods," said Yuri Zubov, head of Rospatent.
The Ryazan, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions account for 21 regional brands. In total, in February 2026, there were 43 GU and NMPT in the Central Federal District.
Some crafts that have received the status of NMPT or GU have a centuries-old history. The Tula samovar appeared more than 200 years ago, which is confirmed by official sources and archives. Miniature lacquer oil painting on papier-mache appeared at the end of the 18th century in the village of Fedoskino near Moscow. Stitched products combining various techniques of embroidery and thread in one, with a special colorful pattern, appeared at the end of the 19th century in the Ryazan province (Ryazan patterns).
In the Kostroma province, in the village of Petrovskoye at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, the entire male population of the village was engaged in the production of a clay toy-a whistle — a Petrovsky toy.
The peoples of the Caucasus have made an equally significant contribution. Artistic metalworking and the production of edged weapons in Dagestan originated in ancient times. By the end of the 19th century, handicrafts were booming there, and several traditional metalworking centers were established — Kubachi, Kumukh, Amuzgi, Kazanishche, and Untsukul.
The indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East have turned their national clothing items into protected regional brands. The Yakut unts and the dyabak headdress became geographical indications from the Sakha Republic. A pendant in the style of traditional jewelry of the indigenous inhabitants of the peninsula, the Koryaks, has been registered in Kamchatka.
Why patent folk crafts
The protection and patenting of folk art crafts is a tool of the economic and cultural policy of the state, Boris Gerasin, Deputy Chairman of the Intellectual Property Council of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Eurasian and Russian Patent Attorney, told Izvestia.
— It's about fixing the link between the product, territory and tradition, turning it into a legally protected asset, — said the expert. — Such crafts as "Gzhel", "Vologda lace" and "Krasnoselskaya Scan" form a stable association with specific regions.
According to him, without legal protection, this connection is blurred: similar products begin to be produced anywhere, which leads to a decrease in confidence in the original and the depreciation of the brand itself.
Patenting in the form of names of places of origin and geographical indications allows the territory to consolidate its reputation and quality standards.
— This means that, for example, a product can be called gzhel only if technology and origin are respected, — Boris Gerasin explained. — Thus, the state protects not only the name, but also the very tradition of production.
From an economic point of view, this turns the craft into an asset. A regional brand gives manufacturers the opportunity to sell products at a higher price due to proven quality and origin, expand sales markets and participate in export deliveries.
"At the same time, there may be several copyright holders, which creates the basis for small business cooperation and the formation of entire clusters," he noted. — It is also important that such a policy is directly related to the development of territories.
Each of the over 90 geographical indications and NMPT in the field of crafts forms a segment with an average price premium of 15-30% due to its proven origin and quality, added Ekaterina Kosareva, Managing Partner of the VMT Consult agency.
"At the same time, in a number of cases, as with Orenburg Down Shawl or Zlatoust Engraving, up to five to ten official manufacturers work around one brand, creating sustainable employment and a tax base," she said.
Regional brands are becoming part of tourist routes, increasing the recognition of subjects and stimulating demand for local products, Boris Gerasin pointed out. In fact, we are talking about creating a new economy — artisanal, but built into modern market mechanisms.
"A separate effect is protection against counterfeiting," he believes. — With the growing interest in national culture, the demand for authentic products is increasing, and without legal protection, the market is quickly filled with imitations. Geographical indications and NMT make it possible to curb such practices and maintain consumer confidence.
Government policy in this area looks systemic: legal instruments are being expanded, procedures are being simplified through the introduction of geographical indications, and educational work is underway with the regions. This creates conditions in which traditional crafts cease to be only an element of cultural heritage and become a full-fledged factor of economic growth.
According to the experts of the Rospatent system, a collective market strategy for managing regional brands makes it possible to improve producer cooperation and reduce costs. The segment of unique high-quality products increases the possibility of investment in infrastructure.
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