HBO's trademarks in Ukraine have been seized over the series "Chernobyl"
In Ukraine, HBO’s trademarks have been seized as part of a case related to the TV series “Chernobyl.” The reason was the use in the series of the story of Lyudmila Ignatenko, the wife of a liquidator, without her consent.
The law firm Mamunya IP reported on the details of the case.
According to available information, the seized trademarks may be put up for sale as part of further legal proceedings.
It is reported that in November 2025, the Supreme Court definitively upheld the violation of Lyudmila Ignatenko’s right to the use of her name in the series. According to the ruling, HBO was required to pay the woman compensation, specifically 500,000 UAH for moral damages.
However, HBO did not comply with the court’s decision and did not pay the specified amount. In April, private enforcement officer Andriy Avtorgov seized the company’s trademarks registered in Ukraine.
If the company does not respond and pay the compensation, the trademarks will be put up for sale. “Anyone interested will be able to participate in the auction. Perhaps among your acquaintances there are those who would like to purchase the rights to HBO’s trademarks in Ukraine, thereby helping to ensure the enforcement of the court’s decision in favor of Lyudmila Ignatenko?” the statement reads.
In April 2020, Lyudmila Ignatenko filed a lawsuit against the series “Chernobyl.” The issue is that the popular series about the Chernobyl disaster used the story and names of Lyudmila and Vasyl Ignatenko’s family as character names. The widow of the liquidator did not give her consent for her life story to be told in the series, which was seen by millions of viewers. Therefore, she filed a lawsuit, specifically against the Home Box Office (HBO) television channel, and requested compensation for moral damages for the violation of her personal rights to her name.
The Civil Cassation Court of the Supreme Court of Ukraine ruled on the lawsuit filed by Lyudmila Ignatenko, the widow of Vasyl Ignatenko, a firefighter who died while responding to the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The court found that the use of the woman’s and her husband’s names in the series “Chernobyl” constituted a violation of their rights.
The Supreme Court recognized the violation of the plaintiff’s right to her name, which was used in the series without Lyudmila Ignatenko’s consent. Therefore, the court increased the amount of compensation for moral damages to 500,000 UAH.
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