Topics in Brief

• Author: International Law Group
• Pages: 239-240

Page 239

European Court of Justice finds that trademark "Bud" does not infringe on the German trademark "Bit "

The U.S. company Anheuser-Busch applied for European Community trademarks for its "BUD" beer and the pertaining labels. The German company "Bitburger Brauerei" that brews the "BIT" beer opposed the applications. It has trademarks registered in Germany for "Bit" and its slogan "Bitte ein Bit" ("A Bit, please"). Bitburger's objections were rejected. The Board of Appeal of the Office for Harmonisation of the Internal Market (OHIM) upheld the rejection of Bitburger's oppositions to the trademark. There is no likelihood of confusion between Anheuser-Busch's trademarks and the earlier German trademarks. The sounds of "Bit" and "Bud" and the respective trade dresses are sufficiently distinct so as to not confuse consumers. The Court dismisses the actions and orders Bitburger to pay the costs.

Citation: European Court of Justice, Judgment of the Court of First Instance in Case T-350/04 (19 October 2006); 2006 O.J. (C 310) 14, 16 December 2006; ECJ press release Number 91/06. The judgment is also available on the website curia.europa.eu.

United States ratifi es anticorruption convention

On November 29, the United States became a party to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). It is the first comprehensive anticorruption Treaty to apply on a global scale. The parties to U.N.C.A.C. commit themselves (1) to criminalize core corrupt conduct, (2) to take a wide variety of measures to prevent the occurrence of corruption at the outset, (3) to cooperate internationally on a law enforcement level, and (4) to effectuate measures that will promote international cooperation in asset recovery cases. The Convention itself entered into force on December 14, 2005. Counting the U.S., it now has thirty parties and 140 signatories. In a related matter, the U.S. President released a National Strategy to Internationalize Eff orts to Combat Kleptocracy. The latter term describes a government by officials whose chief goal is to achieve status or personal wealth at the expense of the people they govern. The...