US brewing giant, Anheuser-Busch, has been granted the rights to the "Bud" name for beer in Tajikistan by that country's Patent and Trademark Office. The same office has cancelled Czech brewer, Budejovicky Budvar's, trademark registration for the "Bud" name.

This decision is another victory for Anheuser-Busch in Tajikistan. In September, Anheuser-Busch successfully defeated Budvar's effort to assert rights to the name "Bud" as an appellation of origin in Tajikistan.

"We are pleased with the Tajikistan Patent and Trademark Office's ruling," said Stephen J. Burrows, president and chief executive officer, Anheuser-Busch International, Inc. "With this decision, Anheuser-Busch now has the rights to the 'Bud' name in virtually every country in the former Soviet Union. We will continue to fight any infringements on our trademarks throughout the world."
Anheuser-Busch has undisputed rights to the Bud and Budweiser brand names in most of the world and sells its beer in more than 80 countries. After stopping Budvar from using Budweiser in Argentina, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Nigeria, New Zealand, Spain and Sweden, Anheuser-Busch has demonstrated once again its readiness to fight any infringement of Budweiser and Bud, the trademarks that Anheuser-Busch has made into world-famous icons.

20 January, 2004