Russia’s Ministry for Economic Development offered to have the shares of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation privatized in 2013-1014, the Ministry’s Property Relations Director Alexei Uvarov told reporters. The official explained the enterprise was placed on the privatization list for 2012-2014, but the transaction as such was not likely to occur any earlier than after 2012. Besides, he added, the company will probably go private through an additional share issue. ‘This could be an IPO, since the company might need to obtain some outside funds,’ RIA Novosti quotes Alexei

An official delegation of Sverdlovsk Region representatives headed by Governor Alexander Misharin will come to Azerbaijan on September 19, 2011. The Governor is expected to hold talks with the heads of Azerbaijan’s government authorities regarding the promotion of the Urals-based manufacturers’ produce on the local markets and setting up joint ventures (where Sverdlovsk Region-based enterprises would be involved) in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Officers of Nizhniy Tagil Customs confiscated 1,178 presumably counterfeited items from the local stores. 761 items did turn out to be fakes; most of them were shoes and sportswear bearing the famous Lacoste, Adidas, and Umbro logos. The damage done to the trademark holders has been estimated at 950,000 RUR. Since the start of 2011, the local customs officials and law-enforcement officers have already conducted thirty-three inspections aimed at protecting intellectual property rights.

Sverdlovsk Region Arbitration Court started the new hearing of the claim laid by Element Trade (Monetka supermarket chain) against the tax inspectorate of Yekaterinburg’s Chkalovsky District. The retailer disagrees with the defendant’s claims to 113.4m RUR worth of unpaid income tax that was allegedly to have been paid in 2006-2008. The fiscal body believes the supermarket chain signed fictional contracts with an affiliated Cyprus-based company for the purchase of Monetka trademark; the contracts amounted to 472.5m RUR, which resulted in an artificial decrease in the total profits,