News In Brief
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has upheld the right for Dutch brewers, Bavaria NV, to produce and market their “Bavaria” beer despite the fact that Bavarian beer enjoys geographical protection as to where it is made. The ruling follows an eight-year trade mark dispute with Bayerischer Brauerbund, a German association of Bavarian brewers. Kirsten Gilbert, a solicitor at Marks & Clerk Solicitors, said: “The difficulty with geographical indicators and trade mark rights is that the two can come into direct conflict with one another.
