Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)

Budweiser, known in the United States generally as Bud, is an American brand of beer the brewery Anheuser - Busch Companies.

General

Budweiser is in the U.S. since 1876, inspired by the Pilsner beer, the Czech emigrants from their home town of Ceske Budejovice brought, brewed and is now the best-selling "premium" beer brand in the U.S..

In addition to Bud has been around since 1982, a "light " version: Bud Light is since 1994 the market leader among light beers in the U.S..

More beers, Budweiser family of brands are Budweiser select, Bud Dry, Bud Ice and Bud Ice Light.

Trademark Conflicts

In Budweis ( České Budějovice in Czech ) Budweiser rgerbr of German Bohemia was brewed since 1795, and from 1895 Budweiser Budvar, a public company tschechischsprachiger Bohemia. By intercontinental exports and the protection of naming rights in 1907 it came to the " Budweiser dispute", in which the manufacturers agreed not to sell in each others' continent as Budweiser. Therefore, Anheuser -Busch may not sell, at least in Austria and Germany his beer as Budweiser. Through wars and German occupation caused, but especially having expropriated by the communists after 1945, which are under state control Czech breweries lost naming rights especially on the German terms such as Budweiser, and they waived it. Since 1990, the Czechs strive partly successful, being awarded rights for the designation of origin in multiple languages ​​, at least in Europe.

The short form " Bud " was allowed by Anheuser -Busch in Europe a long time can not be used because of the likelihood of confusion " bit" of the Bitburger brewery. On the occasion of the Football World Cup 2006 was allowed Anheuser-Busch beer but market them as 'Bud', in return Bitburger was the only German beer brand in the stadiums. In October 2006, however, Anheuser -Busch won a lawsuit against the Bitburger Brauerei Th Simon GmbH, with the tenor that the distinctiveness is sufficient.

In July 2010, the European Court ruled definitively that Anheuser -Busch could not leave his mark " Budweiser " in the EU protect, as the Czech brewery have the prior right to the name and the trademark laws in some EU countries already legally owned Budweiser Budvar are from.

The situation is different, however, in the UK. There, both Anheuser -Busch Budweiser Budvar and are registered as the holder of the trademark " Budweiser ". This is due to a peculiarity of the British trademark law that two users a brand or two confusingly similar marks in the case of honest concurrent use ( " honest concurrent use " ) or can register in the presence of other special circumstances. The European Court of Justice ruled on 22 September 2011 that this provision does not violate EU law. Both manufacturers distribute more than 30 years in the UK beers under the name " Budweiser ", which differ so much in terms of taste, appearance and price that British consumers both beers perceive as independent brands.