A century-long battle over the use of the Budweiser trademark took a new twist on Thursday with the purchase of a small Czech brewer by beer brewing company AB InBev
AB InBev, the world's biggest brewer in terms of volume, said it had acquired Pivovar Samson, a Czech brewery based in the Bohemian town of Ceske Budejovice, known in German as Budweis, cradle of Budweiser-style beer.
The purchase is the latest chapter in the long war between AB InBev, the maker of the US-brewed Budweiser beer, and the Czech state-owned brewer Budejovicky Budvar.
Both companies make claim to the use of the Budweiser trademark, one of the world's most valuable brand names, and used by both across various different markets.
With the acquisition of Budweis-based Samson, AB InBev hopes to bolster its claim in courts and jurisdictions across the globe where the fight with Budvar has played out for about 100 years.
AB InBev's Budweiser is mainly sold in the Americas and Asia, while the version made by Budvar, the Czech Republic's fourth-biggest brewer, is sold in several European countries that include the Benelux nations (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), as well as Britain and France.
In 2013, Budvar lost a bid in an EU court to ban AB InBev from using the name worldwide, a decision the Belgium-based multinational says should end the dispute.
But this is unlikely, as Budvar has a good legal track of its own, having won 88 of 124 disputes closed worldwide between 2000-11, according to the Czech News Agency.
A spokesman for AB InBev remarked the acquisition of Samson "further strengthens AB InBev's legal position, particularly as it relates to the Budweiser brand."
But a spokesman for Budvar replied that the transaction had "no effect" on the long-lasting dispute.
"The brewery they have bought now didn't have a single trademark referring to Budweiser, nothing that could affect the relationship to us or the legal dispute," said Budvar spokesman Petr Samec.
AB InBev said that Samson, which has traditionally focused only on the domestic market, would be integrated into its stable of European brands.
