According to research data on Ukraine’s advertising market capacity in the printed mass media segment made by the Ukrainian Association of Press Publishers (UAPP) in 2005 the printed mass media ranked second in advertising market of Ukraine after television for the first time. At that, the printed mass media left behind even such potent advertising medium as outdoor advertising.

According to the Results of Ukraine’s Media and Communication Market of 2006 and Forecast of the Market Development in 2007 prepared by the All-Ukraine Advertising Coalition, in 2007 the following processes will be illustrative of the printed mass media sphere of Ukraine: the establishment of new media holding companies and sales houses; the active purchase of particular projects by existing media holdings and launch of new projects including entrance of well-known international brands to the Ukrainian market; the emergence of new segments in the Ukrainian market of the printed mass media; the implementation of expensive publishing technologies and transition of the existing media projects to the brand new level; further growth of the regional press by means of enlargement of the territory of consumer markets of many segments (mobile telephony operators, banks, trading centers, etc.) and heightening interest of advertisers in regional markets as well as by means of the necessity of localization of a diversity of advertising campaigns within the territory of particular regions.

Therefore, the legal support of advertising activities is still of key importance for companies operating in the sphere of the press, advertising agencies and advertisers. Konnov & Sozanovsky offers a full spectrum of legal services in this field including but not limited to the preparation of service agreements on the placement of advertisements, political advertisements in the printed mass media; drafting sponsorship agreements the form of which is the publication of sponsorship materials in the press; the legal implementation of relations in the sphere of indirect advertising (PR campaigns, etc.); the legal implementation of relations with creators of advertising materials (either in the line of duty under the employment agreement or according to agreements on the creation of such materials on commission), taking into consideration taxation issues and aspects of intellectual property rights; consulting on the placement of political advertisements, advertisements for particular commodities, including cigarettes, alcohol drinks, trade marks and service marks, other objects of intellectual property under which such goods are manufactured, medicines, etc.; bill drafting, preparation of opinions on bills, monitoring legislative activity (including in particular monitoring bill drafting at different stages when line ministries, committees are involved, the introduction of bills into the Supreme Council of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine).

In Russia the publishing business is one of the most dynamically developing and auspicious kinds of entrepreneurial activity. During the last decade, the book business experienced first a significant slowing down, followed by an unprecedented rise, and occupied a special place in the economic, as well as social and cultural spheres of life of Russian society. According to data provided by the Russian Book Chamber in 1989, at the Russian book market operated 200 incorporated publishing houses, and in 1996 – already 10 000.

Again Russians begin proving their title of the most prolific nation of readers in the world; therefore, the publishing business has emerged as exceedingly profitable. Over this period, a vast number of holding companies were established. Information concerning mergers of the publishing houses and formation of the more powerful business structures regularly appears in the mass media.

For the companies working in the sphere of the printed mass media, advertising agencies and advertisers, services in the domain of the legal support of the advertising activity are urgent. Konnov & Sozanovsky’s lawyers can offer the entire spectrum of the legal services, including preparation of contracts upon allocation of the advertising material, as well as political advertising material in the printed mass media; preparation of the contracts upon sponsorship, where publication of sponsor materials serves as the form thereof; execution of the relations, arising in the sphere of indirect advertising (PR-actions, etc.); execution of the relations with the designers of the advertising materials (in order of performance by the given persons of their labour duties, as well as upon contract of order), taking into account peculiarities of the taxation and of the intellectual property right; consultancy regarding issues of political advertisement placement, advertisement of the particular sorts of goods, including tobacco goods, spirits, marks for goods and services, other objects of intellectual property right, under which such goods, medical products, etc. are released.

Great Britain

Cyprus