Czech Republic: Budvar settles trademark dispute with Anheuser-Busch

Czech Republich & USA: Czech brewery Budejovicky Budvar NP stated on April 18 it settled the latest round of its ongoing global trademark dispute with U.S. beer giant Anheuser-Busch

Czech brewery Budejovicky Budvar NP stated on April 18 it settled the latest round of its ongoing global trademark dispute with U.S. beer giant Anheuser-Busch in Cyprus, according to Associated Press.

The Czech brewery said in a statement the settlement -- the first of its kind in the dispute -- allows it to continue to sell its beer in Cyprus under the name "Budejovicky Budvar" and to use its trade name "Budweiser Budvar, National Corporation" under "strictly defined rules" on its beer labels.

The legal dispute in Cyprus dated back to 2000 when Anheuser-Busch took legal action against Budvar in efforts to prevent the Czech brewer from importing, distributing and promoting all its products that use names such as "Budejovicky," "Budweiser," or "Budvar."

The settlement was reached Thursday in Cyprus, Budvar said. It said it has been exporting its beer to Cyprus since the mid-1990s."We consider this solution a compromise favorable for both sides," Budvar's lawyer Helena Lejtnarova said.

Budvar's trade manager Robert Chrt said he expected the settlement to result in increased exports of Czech Budvar to Cyprus.Anheuser-Busch was to comment later, an official said.

Budejovicky Budvar and St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch have been battling over Budweiser and other trade names, such as Budvar, for a century. Currently, they are involved in some 40 lawsuits worldwide.Budejovicky Budvar was founded in 1895 in Ceske Budejovice -- called Budweis by the German-speaking people that populated the area at the time. Beer has been brewed there since 1265.

The St. Louis brewery got its start in 1852. It began producing Budweiser, the United States' first national beer brand, in 1876. Since 2001, Budvar also has been exporting lager to the United States under the name Czechvar.

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