Budding friendship?

Budding friendship?

The IPKat is grateful to his friend Lee Curtis (Pinsent Masons) for drawing his attention to the surprising news that the historically hostile owners of the two Budweiser beer brands have formed a trade alliance under which the American Bud's owner Anheuser-Busch will distribute Czech government-owned Budejovicky Budvar's own Budweiser product in some 30 states within the lucrative US market. The Czech beer will however be sold there under the somewhat synthetic-sounding compromise name CZECHVAR - by which it is apparently known in some 40 jurisdictions - pending resolution of the rivals' ongoing trade mark dispute.

Says the IPKat, if this isn't proof that money talks, what is? It would be great, though, to see the terms of the distribution deal. Merpel adds, it's definitely not the First of April - but how about Coca-Cola agreeing to distribute Pepsi? What might we expect next?

More on the deal from The Publican and Forbes
History of the Budweiser dispute here
World's best beer? Click here
See what drinkers say about the US Budweiser here