The acquisition of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. by InBev NV could increase the chances of settlement in the century-long trademark dispute over the Budweiser brand.
Anheuser-Busch and state-owned Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar NP are currently involved in several lawsuits over the use of the Budweiser name. It seems that so many personal issues had become intertwined with the legal issues over the last 100 years that it had become hard to negotiate.
According to Anheuser-Busch’s attorney, Joe Dreitler, “The bottles look different, the cans look different and they taste different.” “They are very different products, and the people who drink them are looking for a very different experience.”
Dreitler added that the key to a resolution would be for both sides to agree they can co-exist. “I think it would be an interesting ending to a long lawsuit,” Dreitler said. “It would be sort of a casebook study of how you can resolve things even if they’ve gone on for 100 years.”
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