Budvar vs Budweiser
Budvar is still Budweiser in UK
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has this morning ruled against Anheuser-Busch's (maker of US Budweiser beer) latest attempt to deprive Czech rival Budějovický Budvar of its right to the 'Budweiser' name
in the UK.
Both companies were given permission by the Court of Appeal to simultaneously register the 'Budweiser' trade mark in 2000, given their long-standing history of honest co-existence in the UK market. However, in 2005, Anheuser-Busch started legal action to invalidate Budvar's 'Budweiser' mark on the grounds that their application for the registration of the mark in the UK (1976) predates Budvar's application (1989).
The dispute between the two brands has been live for decades, culminating in a number of different battles for the Budweiser name across different territories and legal systems. In the UK alone, the case in question is but the latest in a series of legal challenges to the Budvar mark by Anheuser-Busch, all of which have been unsuccessful.
Social Links