World: AB InBev accuses Heineken of infringing four of its patents

Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev is suing rival Heineken for infringing patents related to the storage of beer in kegs, the World Intellectual Property Review reported on May 2.

In a claim filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday, April 30, AB InBev accused Heineken of infringing four of its patents.

The patents in question are US numbers 9,162,372; 9,517,876; 9,994,453; and 9,555,572. The patents relate to a method of storing beer in a keg using a “blow-moulded bag-in-container”.

Heineken’s allegedly infringing products are the BrewLock system and the Blade, which are described as “blow-moulded bag-in-container bottles”.

According to the claim, draft beer is traditionally stored in stainless steel kegs and is dispensed by introducing gas directly into the keg, forcing the beer out. However, the gas can affect the quality of the beer.

AB InBev’s bag-in-container bottle comprises a vent which extends through the neck of the bottle and into the keg, between the inner bag and the outer container, preserving the taste of the beer.

“This vent allows a pressurised gas to be introduced through the neck into the interface, which squeezes the inner bag and dispenses the liquid in it, all without allowing any gas to contact the beer itself,” said AB InBev.

According to the claim, Heineken makes and sells the “bag-in-container” devices in the US, infringing AB InBev’s patents.

AB InBev added: “Accordingly Heineken has copied AB InBev’s innovative design for the bottle-in-bottle device and attempt to call it their ‘innovation’.”

The company is requesting an award of damages and an injunction preventing Heineken from infringing the asserted patents.

AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, owns brands including Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois.

"Heineken does not agree with AB InBev's claims and we are confident in the merits of our case," a spokesperson for Heineken told WIPR. "As this is now a matter of the court, we will not divulge any further detail at this time."

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