An ugly dispute over the ownership of Pussy Riot's name has flared up in Russia, with lawyers and members accusing each other of seeking to cash in on the group's notoriety. The all-women punk collective shot to global fame earlier this year after staging a provocative anti-Kremlin performance in a Moscow cathedral. Three members of the group were sentenced to two years in prison over the stunt, although one of them, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was later released on probation.
Samutsevich is now accusing her former lawyer, Mark Feigin, of applying for the Pussy Riot trademark without the group's knowledge. In comments published November 2 in the Russian
Kommersant daily, she said she was "shocked" and "very surprised" to learn that Feigin had applied to register the brand under his wife's film company, Web Bio. The Pussy Riot trademark would give its owner the exclusive right to produce a range of Pussy Riot-themed items, from pens to clothes, cosmetics, stationary, toys, videos, or beverages.
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