France: AB InBev angry with French hobby brewer who has named his brewery “Leff”

AB InBev is angry with a French hobby brewer, who has named his brewery "Leff". The world's largest beer brewer finds that hardly indistinguishable from its global brand Leffe. The Retail Detail reported on December 30.

Philippe Le Saux is not aware of any wrongdoing: he says he has named his brewery after the Leff, the river that flows through his hometown of Lanleff. Moreover, the names he has given his beers cannot be confused with Leffe: Bolec'h is a blond beer of 7.5 % ABV and Buzuch Coz is an amber coloured beer of 9 %. Le Saux has no ambitions to conquer the world with its beer: "I would be happy if I could produce a thousand bottles every month," the Breton told OuestFrance.

However, AB InBev is not putting up with that: Leff and Leffe are pronounced the same, so confusion is possible, the multinational believes - and so Le Saux should rename its brewery. However, the latter disagrees: in October he registered his name with the French National Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI), so he believes his brand is protected.

According to Belgian news broadcaster VRTNWS, AB InBev says it does not want legal proceedings, but will continue to defend the brand name Leffe. In the first instance, the beer giant will look for a solution towards the INPI, which will have to evaluate the similarity between the names.

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