Italy: AB InBev has to change Budweiser labelling in Italy until February 10

A court has given Anheuser-Busch InBev until 10 February to change the labelling for Budweiser to 'Bud' in Italy after another legal tussle with Budejovický Budvar.

Italy's Supreme Court found in favour of the Czech brewer in October, allowing Budvar to start selling its flaghsip lager brand as Budweiser Budvar again in the country. The court ruled that AB InBev must stop selling its brand as Budweiser in Italy.

However, Budvar on December 18 claimed that AB InBev had failed to withdraw Budweiser in the market. As a result, Budvar said it had been forced to ask Milan's Commerical Court to intervene.

“Since our business interests are being severely harmed and Italian consumers are being further deceived, we had to ask the Commercial Court in Milan for help,” Budvar's sales director Robert Chrt said.

In response to Budvar's plea, the Commerical Court has set a 10 February deadline for AB InBev to comply with its ruling.

But in a statement on December 19, AB InBev said it “had already decided to transition to Bud in Italy, but the transition had not yet been completed”.

The Belgium-headquartered brewer added: “AB InBev is pleased with the result of the hearing as the goal was to ensure that there was a smooth transition to 'Bud' in Italy and to avoid any disruption in the supply.”

Budvar and AB InBev have beein dispute over the Budweiser trademark for more than 100 years.

In two other recent rulings, Budvar claimed victory in Portugal, while AB InBev chalked up a win in France.

20 December, 2013