PORTUGAL: Budejovicky Budvar claims Portuguese trademark victory

By just-drinks.com editorial team | 10 November 2006

Czech brewery Budejovicky Budvar has announced that the patent office in Portugal has registered its Budweiser Budvar trademark, in spite of objections from US beer giant Anheuser-Busch, which is engaged in a long-running international trademark dispute with the Czech firm.

The Czech brewer claimed the registration as a victory in its protracted trademark battle with A-B. "It's a good signal for our activities on the (Portuguese) market," said Petr Samec, spokesperson for Budejovicky Budvar, adding that the company had first applied to have the trademark registered in Portugal in 1999.

Samec said the ruling was final, and was in line with a previous decision by the Supreme Court, which upheld Budejovicky Budvar's historical rights to the Budweiser Budvar trademark as a place of origin.

Anheuser-Busch has not yet commented on the ruling.

Sectors: Beer & cider

Companies: Budvar, Anheuser-Busch