Victory For Czech Budweiser
American-based beer giant Anheuser-Busch, makers of international beer brands such as Kirin and Beck's as well as the American Budweiser lager, has been unable to secure a European trademark for its Budweiser beer. This follows over a decade of legal disputes between Anheuser-Busch and the Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar.
Both Budejovicky Budvar and Anheuser-Busch have been using the word "Budweiser" for their beers since the 19th century. The term Budweiser literally means "from Budweis", the German name for the Czech town where Budejovicky Budvar has been in operation since the 13th century.
Budejovicky Budwar has registered its Budweiser name in several countries across Europe and the Court of Justice ruled that Anheuser-Busch had no grounds to appeal previous victories for the Czech brand in 2005 and 2009.