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A-B triumphs in Hungary
Patent office limits ways Czech brewery can used Budweiser-like names
Dec 16, 2002 - The Hungarian Patent and Trademark Office has ruled that Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar cannot use the word "Bud," the nickname of Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser beer, in Hungary. Anheuser-Busch reported that the patent office said "Bud" does not refer to the city where the brewery is located, Ceske Budejovice.
The Czech brewer also cannot claim that its place of origin allows it to use "Budweiser Bier-Budvar" or "Budweiser Budvar" in Hungary. However, the Czech brewer can still use "Budweiser Bier" in Hungary. Budvar uses names such as Budweiser Budvar, Budweiser, Budvar and Bud for its products in other countries. The American and Czech breweries have been involved in a long running series of legal battles over rights to the name "Budweiser" and various derivitives. The Czech company claims its trademarks "prevent Anheuser-Busch from making a significant impact" on the European market and "gradually taking control of it." Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser is known as "American Bud" in Hungary. The St. Louis-based brewing giant has rights to the "Budweiser" and "Bud" names in most of the world. It sells its beer in more than 80 countries. "Anheuser-Busch started using the Budweiser trademark in 1876, 19 years before Budejovicky Budvar was established," Stephen Burrows, president and chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch International Inc., said in a statement. Budejovicky Budvar is sold under the name of "Czechvar" in the United States.
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