Czech Republic: Budějovický Budvar victorious in the first dispute round with Czech Olympic Committee

České Budějovice-based brewery Budějovický Budvar has won the first round of a dispute with the Czech Olympic Committee over the alleged misuse of Olympic symbols in its pre-Olympic marketing campaign in February, The Czech Business Weekly announced on April 24 .

The Advertising Council (RPR) decided April 10 in Budvar’s favour. “We didn’t find any breach of the ethical advertising code and so we dismissed the Olympic Committee’s appeal,” RPR executive director Pavel Kurýl stated.

In February the ČOV filed an appeal with the RPR and a lawsuit with the Regional Court in České Budějovice for what it claimed was an infringement of its Olympic marketing rights.Budvar raised the tumult with its famous Bob and Dave TV campaign.

Before the Olympics, Budvar attempted to capitalize on the expected hockey fever by incorporating Czech Olympic team goalie Milan Hnilička in the campaign.

With only days until the 2006 Winter Olympics, which began Feb. 10 in Turin, Italy, the ČOV initiated a regional court ruling ordering Budvar to halt the commercial. The ČOV argued that images of Olympic athletes could only be used by official ČOV or International Olympic Committee (IOC) partners until the end of the Games.

“The TV ad featured symbols such as the Olympic torch and words such as hokejiáda, which is clearly related to Olympiáda [the Czech word for the Olympics],” said Judge Jana Kralická.

Budvar consequently dropped Hnilička from the ad but continued the Bob and Dave campaign, arguing that it was entitled to do that thanks to its sponsorship contract with the Czech Ice Hockey Association (ČSLH).

Budvar spokesman Petr Samec said the RPR’s verdict confirmed that there was no wrongdoing on the side of the brewery. “This is an independent decision by marketing experts that only confirmed our standpoint,” Samec stated.

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