Back in the late 19th century when businessman Adolphus Busch decided to export the beer-making tradition, name and ingredients from Austro-Hungary to America, he could have little foreseen the bitter battle he would later unleash.
German-born Busch, one of the founders of Anheuser-Busch (AB), chose the name Budweiser for his lager to appeal to a booming immigrant population.
Now, almost 130 years on, the American brewing giant is deeply embroiled in a global dispute with Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar over who has the rights to the trademarks Budweiser and Bud.
In dozens of countries across Europe, Asia and Africa, Budvar, the Czech Republic's third largest brewer in terms of output, is going head to head with AB, an American brewing giant 100 times its size, locked in more than 100 legal and patent cases.
Budvar insists it has a geographical right to the name as the southern Czech town in which it is based, Ceske Budejovice, was formerly known by its German name Budweis and has a brewing tradition dating back to the 13th century.
"We have a logical right to the name as Budweiser is the adjective of Budweis, the former name of the town where the beer is brewed. The town has a brewing tradition going back many centuries," said Josef Tolar, brewmaster and board member at Budvar.
For its part, the US brewer stresses that it registered the Budweiser trademark first, back in 1878.
"Anheuser-Busch started brewing its flagship beer in 1876 and registered its famous brand name two years later, more than 17 years before Budvar was established in 1895," said Stephen Burrows, chief executive and president of Anheuser-Busch International.
Budvar first registered Budweiser in the mid-1930s, almost 60 years after AB and didn't use the name prominently on labels until the 1960s, he added.
"They are merely trying to trade off the name and reputation established by Anheuser-Busch," he said.
Back in Busch's day, America and the German-speaking Austro-Hungarian region in which Budweis lay were worlds apart.
One century on, the dispute shows no signs of weakening.
"The litigation has increased in the past 30 years," said Burrows.
The Czech brewer has scored victories in neighboring Germany, its biggest export market, as well as Austria, while the Americans have won in places such as Italy and Spain. In Britain, uniquely, both brewers have equal rights to the name.
Still, in a complicated web of lawsuits and appeals there is no clear winner.
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