Sweden: Budejovicky Budvar cannot use the trademark Budweiser for its beer in Sweden

Budejovicky Budvar cannot use the trademark Budweiser for its beer in Sweden, the appeals court in Stockholm has ruled, confirming the verdict of a lower instance court in a dispute between Budvar and US company Anheuser-Busch (AB), The Prague Daily Monitor and Monitor CE cited AB saying in a press release on January 19.

Budvar and its Swedish distributors must pay USD130,000 (CZK 3.25 million) in damages and legal fees, according to AB. The Municipal Court in Stockholm had ordered Budvar to pay USD100,000 back in 2003. After Budvar's appeal was rejected, the company must pay an additional USD30,000, AB said.

Budvar can continue to use the Budejovicky Budvar trademark. The verdict can still be appealed at the local Supreme Court. The dispute over the trademark in Sweden began in 1998.

Anheuser-Busch considers this a very important decision because it reinforces its exclusive rights to the Budweiser trademark in Sweden, according to Anheuser-Busch International President and CEO Stephen Burrows.

Budejovicky Budvar has been exporting beer to Sweden since 1981 and last year raised exports to that country by 10 percent. It will consider possible legal action against the verdict banning it from using the Budweis and Budweiser terms in Sweden, Budvar said in a press release.