EU Court Rejects AB InBev Bid To Protect Budweiser

Anheuser-Busch had argued it had the right to trademark the well known brand-name for "beer, ale, porter, malted alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages."

The court said that description was too similar to Budvar's earlier trademark for "Budweiser" using it for "beers of any kind."

Wednesday's ruling was the latest blow to Anheuser-Busch Inbev over efforts to protect its brand-name assets on the European market.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev also lost a case in December when the EU court scrapped a trademark for the brewer's famous "Bud" beer name in Europe.

Marianne Amssoms, spokeswoman at AB InBev said the ruling did not pose problems to the company's operations in Europe.

"The decision ... has no effect on Anheuser-Bush InBev's existing, extensive Budweiser trademark rights throughout the European Union or the rest of the world," Amssoms said in an e-mailed statement.

She said the company "owns the right" to the Budweiser and Bud trademarks in 23 of 27 EU countries and added the court ruling would not cancel the trademarks in Germany or Austria.