Anheuser-Busch acquires rights to Czech brewer’s BUDWEISER marks

Leading global brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev, the owner of the US trademark BUDWEISER, has acquired the rights to the BUDWEISER trademarks held by Czech brewery Budejovicky Mestansky Pivovar (BMP).
 

BMP and the larger, state-owned brewery Budejovicky Budvar are both based in the town of Budejovice, also known as Budweis, and have both been involved in disputes with Anheuser-Busch over the rights to the BUDWEISER mark. Budejovicky Budvar owns rights to the mark in most European countries, in which Anheuser-Busch is aiming to expand.
 

“Anheuser-Busch InBev and BMP have settled all their trademark disputes and Anheuser-Busch InBev has acquired the rights to BMP’s BUDWEISER trademarks,” a spokeswoman for Anheuser-Busch stated for the beverage industry news and information portal just-drinks.com on January 12 2012, adding that “BMP’s former owners will own the BMP brewing operations in the Czech Republic and the non-BUDWEISER trademarks”.

The number of trademarks that Anheuser-Busch acquired from BMP and the number of European countries affected by this deal have not been disclosed.
 

Anheuser-Busch claimed that this development is unrelated to Budejovicky Budvar and concerns only BMP’s Budweiser IP rights.
 

Aleksandra Pavlovic, PETOŠEVIC, Skopje