Tag: alcohol
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TTB Issues Final Rule Designating Cachaça as Type of Rum
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has issued a final rule designating “Cachaça” as a type of rum and a distinctive product of Brazil. Effective April 11, 2013, the final rule recognizes Cachaça as a distinctive distilled spirit made from sugar cane “in compliance with the laws of Brazil regulating the manufacture of…
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Beer Maker Inundated with Product Dilution Claims
Putative class actions have been filed against the Anheuser-Busch Cos. (AB) in federal courts in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, alleging that “consumers receive watered down beer containing less alcohol than is stated on the labels of AB’s products.” Giampaoli v. Anheuser-Busch Cos., LLC, No. 13-0828 (N.D. Cal., filed February 22, 2013); Wilson v. Anheuser-Busch Cos.,…
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CAMY Identifies Alcohol Brands Associated with Underage Drinking
The Boston University School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) have published a study identifying alcohol brands allegedly consumed by underage youth. Michael Siegel, et al., “Brand-Specific Consumption of Alcohol Among Underage Youth in the United States,” Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, February…
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Anheuser-Busch to Sell Brewery and U.S. Beer Rights to Fend Off DOJ Antitrust Claims
In the wake of an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking to enjoin the acquisition of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo, Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) has reportedly agreed to sell a massive Modelo brewery, including full U.S. rights to the Corona® and Modelo® brands, to Constellation Brands, said to be the world’s…
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FTC Alters Four Loko Flavored Malt Beverage Labeling Requirements
Evidently in response to public comments, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has modified its agreement with Phusion Projects, LLC to require an alcohol facts panel on certain-sized cans of its Four Loko fruit-flavored malt beverage. In re Phusion Projects, LLC, No. C-4382 (FTC, order entered February 6, 2013). The agreement resolves charges that the company…
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NAD Clears Promotions for Michelob ULTRA Light Cider®
According to a news source, the Council of Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division (NAD) has determined that Anheuser Busch promotions for Michelob ULTRA Light Cider® comply with Food and Drug Administration definitions and guidelines. The company apparently claims that the product has one-third fewer calories than its competitors, and the ad industry’s self-regulatory investigative…
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DOJ Seeks to Stop Beer Merger
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Belgian brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (ABI) and Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo S.A.B. de C.V., seeking to enjoin ABI’s June 28, 2012, acquisition of Modelo. United States v. Anheuser Busch InBev SA/NV, No. 13-127 (D.D.C., filed January 31, 2013). DOJ contends that the $20.1 billion…
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EU General Court Decides Trademark Dispute in Favor of Anheuser-Busch
In a long-running dispute between Anheuser-Busch LLC and Budějovický Budvar, národini podnik, the European Union’s (EU’s) General Court has determined that a Czech brewery cannot stop the St. Louis-based company from using the “Bud” mark in a number of EU member nations. Budějovický Budvar, národini podnik v. Anheuser-Busch LLC, Nos. T-225/06 RENV, T-255/06 RENV, T-257/06 RENV,…