Tymlat seeks state action over alleged Ozon omega-3 counterfeits

Natalia Gonchar

On 2 November, Tymlat Fish Combine asked Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to help stop systematic sales of alleged counterfeits on Ozon under its Tymlat RK and Salmonica brands. The letter, reported by Kommersant, concerns two omega-3 labels and the marketplace checks that failed to keep copied products out of sale, according to the producer.

What did the company request?

Tymlat Fish Combine asked Mishustin to intervene in what it calls the systematic sale of counterfeit goods on Ozon. The targeted products imitate Tymlat RK and Salmonica, brands used for omega-3 dietary supplements made from wild Kamchatka salmon. The company asked for government help against an alleged sales channel rather than a single seller’s listing.

It alleges that Chinese manufacturers make the counterfeits and that the marketplace allows them onto sale. That allegation sets the central conflict: the producer says Ozon’s controls admit fakes, while Ozon says its controls check listings and respond to complaints.

How large is the affected brand?

DSM Group’s January–September data put Salmonica at 3.1% of Russian omega-3 sales, making it the fifth most popular brand. The number gives the dispute a measurable commercial context, although it measures brand sales rather than the turnover of alleged counterfeits.

For a fifth-ranked label, the company’s concern is not confined to a marginal product line. Yet the report gives no Ozon sales figure for the alleged copies, so 3.1% should not be read as a counterfeit market share.

What does Ozon say it checks?

Ozon said it had already launched an additional review of products carrying the Tymlat RK and Salmonica names. It also described an existing control: before a supplement card goes live, the platform automatically checks its information against state registers, and rights holders can report violations quickly.

That control addresses listing information. The producer’s allegation goes further, to the identity and origin of the physical goods offered under the same brand names. This distinction explains why matching a card with a register does not settle whether the package contains the registered product.

Ozon and the producer therefore point to different control points. The marketplace stresses checks before publication; Tymlat says the decisive weakness appears when foreign sellers enter and the platform accepts their goods for sale.

Why did the dispute intensify?

Hermann Zverev, president of the All-Russian Association of Fish Producers, said other omega-3 manufacturers had approached the association with similar cases. He linked the sharper problem to 1 September 2025, when doctors in Russia gained the right to prescribe supplements to patients.

Zverev warned of a direct consumer risk: “At best, they take a ‘dummy’; at worst, dangerous substances,” he said. His warning moves the issue beyond lost brand sales, placing patient safety beside commercial damage.

Who should check overseas sellers?

Artem Sokolov, president of the Association of Internet Trade Companies, took the opposite view. He said online retailers can identify and stop counterfeits more readily than sellers in other channels. Tymlat Fish Combine disagrees on where the market’s entry rules matter most.

The fish producer argues that Ozon should examine foreign sellers more closely because conditions for their entry are currently easier. That request would place more verification work on the marketplace before goods enter sale.

Zverev said producers instead carry the burden. They must monitor electronic marketplaces regularly and pursue copies themselves, even when a larger platform already checks listing data and offers a complaint route.

What do the broader figures show?

The report places two sector figures beside the complaint. Retail sales of supplements in Russia grew 75% over two years, while authorities blocked more than 48,600 websites offering prohibited supplements.

The growth gives brand protection greater economic weight, while the second figure shows the scale of enforcement against prohibited products online. Neither measure captures the Tymlat case, Ozon’s market share or the value of the alleged counterfeits.

Where does the dispute stand?

The request now places the dispute before the government, while Ozon has started a specific review. The unresolved issue is responsibility: Ozon says registry checks and rapid complaint handling form its control system, and Tymlat says foreign sellers need stricter checks.

Salmonica’s 3.1% share gives the request a quantified commercial context. The absent figure remains the scale of counterfeit sales, and that gap leaves the financial and consumer exposure unmeasured.