Russian television presenter Tatiana Lazareva revealed that tech corporation Apple seized a massive shipment of gaming gadgets created for a popular television contest.
Speaking in a video interview for the YouTube channel Noswag, Lazareva explained that the producers of the comedic show Good Jokes on the STS channel entered into a dispute with Apple over branding used on custom electronic devices.
The conflict centered on Apozh, a widely popular musical game within the program where celebrity participants attempted to identify songs played in reverse playback. Following enthusiastic audience feedback, the production team decided to manufacture dedicated electronic devices allowing fans to play the game at home across Russia.
According to Lazareva, the initial production run of the gaming devices sold out rapidly. Encouraged by the strong demand, the show creators placed a larger order with a manufacturer in China for a new batch of one million units.
Customs Seizure of Bitten Pear Branding
Lazareva stated that the team sense of humor ultimately led to the downfall of the commercial venture. To parody Apple emerging iPhone line, the creators branded the gadgets as iPozh and adopted a logo depicting a bitten pear.
When the shipment arrived from China, Russian customs officials flagged the trademark infringement. Lazareva said Apple representatives intervened directly, questioning the creators actions and securing the immediate seizure of the entire million unit inventory at border customs.
Background and Recent Developments
Lazareva is a prominent Russian television host and comedian who gained nationwide recognition through entertainment programming on STS, a major Russian television network known for its humor series and studio game shows. Apple Inc., headquartered in Cupertino, California, strictly enforces its registered trademarks and logo designs worldwide to prevent consumer confusion.
The Russian Ministry of Justice has designated Lazareva as a foreign agent, and financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring has included her on its official registry of terrorists and extremists. Separately, Lazareva recently shared that she sold her apartment in Moscow, admitting that making the decision to part with the property was difficult.
