New loss of Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and the power of the Czechs

The European Court of First Instance issued a decision on the long succession battle between Anheuser-Busch and Budejovicky Budvar about trade mark BUDWEISER. The decision of the court rejected the procedural objections to Anheuser-Busch by previous decisions of OHIM which confirms the company's failure to register BUDWEISER, as a Community trade mark.

Several months before the American company Anheuser-Busch was bought by Belgian giant InBev, which has acquired all intellectual property rights of Americans company. Anheuser-BuschInBev has BUDWEISER marks in 23 European countries. Attempts to register the company's European mark, however, failed once again because of the earlier registered marks of Czech Budvar brewery company in Germany and Austria, and held their geographical indication.

This is a classic example of that where the law is on your side even obvious differences in scale between the two companies can't help.

The judgment of ECFI may be read at the following link: Case T 191/07

Information source: Intellectual Property Planet  

Image by Chris_J