S.D.N.Y. Declines Collateral Estoppel in Stolichnaya Trademark Dispute

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a ruling on May 26, 2026, declining to apply the doctrine of collateral estoppel in a long-running dispute concerning ownership of the Stolichnaya vodka trademarks in the United States.

The decision addresses claims involving Federal Treasury Enterprise Sojuzplodoimport and other parties contesting prior assignments and rights stemming from the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The court determined that collateral estoppel did not bar relitigation of certain issues in the trademark matter.

This ruling allows aspects of the case to proceed without being precluded by earlier judgments. The Stolichnaya marks have been the subject of multiple proceedings across jurisdictions for decades, involving questions of succession, assignment validity, and international comity.

The matter remains active in the district court following the recent order.

Sources: https://today.westlaw.com/Document/Ib9f36af2593211f1b2f8c19f5b0c8d25/View/FullText.html?transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default) https://www.vitallaw.com/news/trademark-s-d-n-y-district-court-declined-to-apply-collateral-estoppel-to-stolichnaya-vodka-trademarks-dispute/ipm01f3f5d114b3e9482b8b04a65e85a45d1b