NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: Heineken has gone to court to stop a local Swiss group from distributing a spoof brand called Keineken (No Heineken) in protest of the Dutch brewer's dominance of the Swiss beer market.
The judge in Obwalden canton ordered a supply of 1,200 Keineken bottles and matching glasses confiscated after Heineken filed a complaint for trademark infringement.
The Keineken ('Kein Heineken' or No Heineken) campaign is in response to recent acquisitions by the Dutch beer giant on the Swiss beer market. A year ago Heineken acquired the Swiss brewer Eichhof from Luzern. According to Conrad Engler of the Keineken campaign this meant that "the last big independent Swiss brewer ended up in foreign hands".
Eight years ago, when Carlsberg took over the Feldschlösschen brewery in Basel, local beer aficionados founded the Unser Bier (Our beer) brewery in the same city. The Keineken campaign in Luzern was inspired by the Basel action. >>> NRC’s News Staff | Thursday, September 03, 2009
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