The Belgian beer giant Interbrew has lost its second attempt to challenge the banking group, HSBC, over the use of its slogan, "the world's local bank". A Belgian court threw out the suit brought by Interbrew which sought to ban HSBC from using the slogan that Interbrew considers to be too similar to its own tagline, "the world's local brewer", first used by Interbrew in 1999.

In the Belgian case, HSBC contended that Interbrew had no exclusive rights to the words "the world's local," because they are already widely in use, citing campaigns by a designer magazine, a pop group and a telephone company.

"We believe the case has no merit, as we believe consumers can tell the difference between a bank loan and a pint of Stella," said HSBC spokesman, Adrian Russell. "We will contest any further actions."

However, Interbrew has vowed to fight on. "We will pursue these cases," said Corneel Maes, the brewer's vice president for corporate communications. "We must protect our rights."

24 January, 2003