The Czech brewer, Budejovicky Budvar, has claimed a further legal victory over the US brewing giant, Anheuser-Busch, with an appeal court in Lithuania upholding a decision by the municipal court in Vilnius which had given Budejovicky Budvar the rights to the exclusive use of the name Budweiser in that country.
In May, the Vilnius court ruled that A-B had no rights to use the Budweiser brand in Lithuania because Budvar had registered the trademark first. The court said it was irrelevant that Anheuser-Busch had registered the trademark in a number of other countries.
The Lithuanian ruling is the third notable success the Czech brewer has enjoyed recently in its protracted legal tussle with Anheuser stretching over many markets. Recently, Budejovicky Budvar has claimed similar victories in Taiwan and Spain.