The Tajikistan Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar's appellation of origin claims in the ongoing legal battle for the Bud and Budweiser trademarks, according a statement of The Union of Russian Brewery.

“We had successfully defeated Budejovicky Budvar's effort to assert rights to the name "Bud" as an appellation of origin in Tajikistan," said Anheuser-Busch in a statement. And the Tajikistan Patent and Trademark Office Board of Appeals cancelled the appellation of origin for "Bud" owned by Budvar, the statement said.

"The decision by the Tajikistan Patent and Trademark Office to deny Budejovicky Budvar's appellation of origin claim is another significant win for Anheuser-Busch," said Stephen J. Burrows, president and chief executive officer, Anheuser-Busch International, Inc. "It is also a serious blow to Budejovicky Budvar's appellation of origin claims. This result may be added to Anheuser-Busch's successes in other countries of the former USSR where Budvar's attempts to secure rights in 'Bud' as an appellation of origin were rejected for lack of geographic significance."

02 September, 2003