Though the plaintiff is demanding moral damages at 200,000 rubles, roughly US$7,000, he says he is not after money in his litigation but is only anxious to protect his famous ancestor's good name. Meanwhile, Dmitri has recently registered the renowned name as a trademark, now patented.
Lottery organizers have trespassed the federal Constitution and Russia's Civil Code, says Sergei Voronov, the plaintiff's lawyer.
The defendants do not think they have done anything wrong. They are referring to the copyright law, and say that Russian celebrities' portraits appearing on lottery tickets promote public education.
Intended to fund athletics, and offering money and valuables for prizes, Fair Play offers its tickets in any mail office. Organizing the venture was the Sporting Russia national voluntary society.
Characteristically, Dostoyevsky was given to games of chance, and "The Gambler" is one of his most memorable novels.
