Budweiser Budvar appreciates the Luxembourg Court’s ruling
České Budějovice, 29th July 2010 – Today, the European Union’s second highest court in Luxembourg has confirmed with final force its earlier ruling, which prevents the Anheuser-Busch InBev Company from registering the “Budweiser” trademark (a so-called Community trademark) in the European Union.
“We are pleased with the Luxembourg Court’s ruling indeed, as we consider it a logical response to a situation where Budweiser Budvar Brewery has its trademark with the “Budweiser” element registered in most EU Member Sates,” says Budweiser Budvar’s PR manager Petr Samec. Presently, Budweiser Budvar has its trademark with the “Budweiser” element registered in 19 Member Sates of the European Union altogether. “This ruling is going to considerably stabilize our trademark situation within the EU. Were the Community trademark registered for our competitor, it would lead to parallel use of the trademarks in some EU Member States, possibly resulting in a new wave of legal disputes,” adds Budweiser Budvar’s lawyer Helena Lejtnarová.
Budweiser Budvar’s legal disputes over the “Budweiser” trademark have been going on for more than 100 years – exactly since 1907, with the Czech brewery having a distinctively positive outcome in them. In 2000-2009, 115 legal disputes and administrative procedures were finalised; 82 of them ended in favour of Budweiser Budvar. Presently, 22 disputes in 14 countries remain unresolved.
Further information and queries:
Budweiser Budvar, National Corporation
Petr Samec, PR manager
Tel: +420 387 705 284
E-mail: petr.samec@budvar.cz
