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Russiatoday.com, an English language internet site providing news about Russia, has been asked to prove that it has authorisation from the Russian government to use the name 'Russia'.
The query is understood to have come from Sergey Frolov, the general director of TV Novosti/Russia Today TV, a Moscow-based media company licensed by the Putin government.
Clearing its stance, Russiatoday.com noted that the site was launched in 1996 in advance of the Russian election campaign held in April of that year, and that it has been operating ever with since under that name.
The site is owned and operated by European Internet Network (EIN), a publication of the Internet Product Development (IPD) Group.
The issue was triggered last year when a Russian government-controlled media company launched 'Russia Today' as a TV programme and russiatoday.ru as its website. EIN then protested, citing infringement of its brand name. In response, Russia Today TV reportedly demanded by letter that EIN prove that it has the 'authorisation of the Government of the Russian Federation to use the name "Russia"'.
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