Budweiser beer to be called “America” till November
11 May 2016
Belgian beverage conglomerate InBev has announced that from now through November, its Budweiser beer would be called "America."
The company is seeking to leverage three things central to life in the US -politics, sporting events and holiday weekends. The "America" cans would be sold through the presidential election on 8 November. The period would cover the Summer Olympics and soccer's Copa America competition, as also Memorial Day, 4th July and Labor Day all occasions for cold beers.
''We are embarking on what should be the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen, with Copa America Centenario being held on US soil for the first time, Team USA competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games,'' said Ricardo Marques, vice president at Budweiser, the Associated Press reported.
US citizens are ''mildly amused'' to "less than thrilled," with the development. Apart from matters of taste, there is no legal issue with naming something "America", that was not America.
According to Valerie Barreiro, director of the intellectual property law clinic at USC, "America" is too widely used to be trademarked, The Los Angeles Times reported.
"When you file for a trademark, if the word 'America' is included in your trademark, you disclaim America," she explained. "You acknowledge that you cannot claim exclusivity to the word 'America.'"
Budweiser would alter its labels with images and phrases affiliated with the republic for the campaign.
The red, white and blue campaign would be launched in a very competitive market upon a drinking public looking at a presidential election that promises to be unlike any before it.
The campaign, called ''America is in Your Hands,'' will run from 23 May through November and will include on cans and bottles passages ranging from Pledge of Allegiance to lyrics from ''The Star Spangled Banner'' and ''America the Beautiful.''
''Budweiser has always strived to embody America in a bottle, and we're honored to salute this great nation where our beer has been passionately brewed for the past 140 years.'' said Ricardo Marques, vice president, Budweiser.
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