Big Beer Strikes Again

    Here's a good one for those of you who are interested in the politics of beer...Lawyers from Anheuser Busch are threatening legal action against upstart British craft brewery Bellville Brewing according to a report from Daily Mail.  The potential litigation stems from the fact that Anheuser Busch produces a Belle-Vue beer in Europe and doesn't want consumers to confuse the Bellville and Bell-Vue products.

  According to the article by Martin Delgado of Daily Mail, a letter written by Anheuser Busch lawyers states "‘As a result of this considerable degree of  similarity .  .  . your use [of the name] is bound to lead to deception and  confusion among the public and our clients’ consumers and potential  customers."  

    The article goes on to state that Anheuser Busch  "demands the destruction of all packaging and promotional material bearing the  microbrewery’s name and the removal of any references to Belleville on the  company’s website within 28 days."  Read the entire article HERE.

    Definitely some interesting stuff!   Do you think AB has a legitimate argument here?  Or is this just another example of big beer making another attempt to crush the little guy?  Let us know what you think.