Look What Made the News Hungary!

I get only a few English TV channels...three being news channels...and one of those being BBC World. I watched for any sign of the Hungarian National Election in April, but to no avail, Italy was having their election on the same day. Nonetheless, Italy won the airwaves. I haven't heard anything remotely related to Hungary on the news except word of the rampantly spreading bird flu way back in October/November when it was solely an "Eastern" problem.

So today, when I saw this link on Yahoo! News, I was a little excited.

...and I was shocked to be drinking MGD in Miskolc out of a plastic cup many weeks ago.

Here it is:

Court allows Budweiser sales in Hungary

By CHRISTOPHER LEONARD, AP Business Writer 26 minutes ago
ST. LOUIS - A Hungarian appeals court has ruled that Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. can sell its Budweiser brand in Hungary, the St. Louis-based brewer said Wednesday.
The ruling is part of a larger legal fight in several European courts between Anheuser-Busch and the Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar. At issue is the famous Budweiser brand, which both companies claim a historical right to use. The Czech brewery was founded in 1895 in a town called "Budweiser" by its German immigrants, while Anheuser-Busch launched its own U.S. Budweiser brand in 1876.
The Hungarian court upheld a lower court ruling that said the Czech brewer didn't have exclusive use of the Budweiser brand name.
The Czech company had argued that the name was protected because it described a specific place the beer was brewed, in the same way Greek Feta cheese can only be produced in certain regions.
The court ruled that "Bud" didn't refer to the Czech company's hometown, which is officially named Ceske Budejovice, according to a statement from Anheuser-Busch.
"This decision provides us with the legal backing to launch our flagship brand under the 'Bud' name in Hungary and reinforces our commitment to protect our famous trademarks throughout the world," Anheuser-Busch International president Stephen Burrows said in a news release.
Budejovicky Budvar did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment Wednesday. But the company has said previously that its legal fight with the biggest U.S. brewer has hurt its ability to introduce products into new markets.
The Hungarian court ruling comes just a week after the Supreme Court of Sweden found no reason to hear an appeal filed by Budejovicky Budvar that could have repealed a ruling that the Czech brewer couldn't use the name "Budweiser Budvar" in Sweden.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060524/ap_on_bi_ge/bud_wars