Bud Vs Bud Case

1385 Words6 Pages
BUD VERSUS BUD What’s in a name? If the name is Budweiser, the answer is „Quite a bit”. Budweiser of course is a registered trademark of St. Louis based Anheuser-Busch, the world’s largest brewing company. At the present time, however, Anheuser-Busch can’t use the Budweiser brand name on a global basis. The reason is firmly rooted in history: The European brewing industry dates to the 14th century. During the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bohemia was famous for its beers; beers from the Bohemian town of Budweis were held in especially high esteem. A person from Budweis, would be known as a Budweiser; the same would be true of the town’s beer. While travelling in Europe in mid 1800s, Adolphus Busch, the founder of Anheuser-Busch, became familiar with beers from Budweis- Budweisers in other words. After emigrating to the United States, Busch married into the Anheuser brewing family; in 1870’s he registered Budweiser as a trademark. Two decades later, in 1895 the Budejovicky Budvar brewery was established in Budweis and its beer was officially named Budweiser „the beer of kings”. Adolphus Busch dubbed his company’s Budweiser „the king of beers”. In 1911, representatives of Anheuser-Busch and Budvar signed an agreement that entitled the European company to market Budweiser beer in continental Europe. The American company would have rights to the name in the US and Latin America. Later, the name of the town was changed from Budweis to Ceske Budejovice. In several European countries, including France, Italy and Spain, Anheuser-Busch markets beer using the Bud brand name. The American company also won a court decision in Britain allowing it to sell Budweiser in Britain alongside the Czech brew with the same name. Today, Anheuser-Busch’s various brands command a 45% share of the US beer market. Although it is the world’s largest brewer, nearly 94% of

More about Bud Vs Bud Case

Open Document