Key points
- A private enforcement officer has seized HBO’s trademarks registered in Ukraine over the company’s failure to comply with a Supreme Court ruling.
- The case concerns the unpaid 500,000 UAH in compensation owed to Liudmyla Ihnatenko, whose name and that of her late husband were used in the «Chernobyl» series without her consent.
- If the court ruling is not complied with voluntarily, HBO’s trademarks will be put up for sale – and anyone will be able to take part in the auction.
- Under the Civil Code of Ukraine, the use of real persons’ names in non-documentary works without their consent is prohibited.
HBO’s trademarks registered in Ukraine have been placed under arrest over the American company’s failure to comply with a Supreme Court ruling ordering it to pay compensation to Liudmyla Ihnatenko, whose name was unlawfully used in HBO’s series «Chernobyl». The legal firm Mamunya IP, which represented the plaintiff, announced the development.
Private enforcement officer Andrii Avtorhov imposed the seizure over the non-payment of 500,000 UAH in compensation awarded to Ihnatenko for the unlawful use of her name and that of her late husband, firefighter Vasyl Ihnatenko, in the dramatised series.
The legal proceedings lasted more than five years. In November 2025, the Supreme Court conclusively confirmed the violation of Ihnatenko’s personal non-property right to the use of her name and awarded her 500,000 UAH in damages for moral harm.
According to lawyers, if HBO fails to comply with the court ruling voluntarily, the company’s trademarks will be put up for sale – and anyone will be able to take part in the auction.
The five-part British-American miniseries «Chernobyl», produced by HBO and Sky UK, was released in 2019. It offers a dramatised account of the events of the Chernobyl disaster, in particular through the story of Liudmyla Ihnatenko and her husband. The role of Liudmyla was played by Irish actress Jessie Buckley.
In 2020, Ihnatenko approached lawyers, stating that she had not given permission for the use of her name and the name of her late husband in the film, and that certain scenes involving the character bearing her name did not correspond to reality.
Under the Civil Code of Ukraine, the use of real persons’ names in non-documentary works without their consent is prohibited.
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