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ABSOLUT

Fortune sues Vin & Sprit over Beam shares

A lawsuit filed by Fortune Brands against Vin & Sprit may delay the sale of the Swedish drinks group to France’s Pernod Richard, writes the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper.

Published: 14 May 2008 12:44 CEST

At issue is Vin & Sprit’s 10 percent stake in Beam Global Spirits & Wine.

Fortune Brands, which had long been considered the favourite in the bidding for Absolut vodka maker V&S, owns the remaining 90 percent of Beam shares.

According to an agreement, Fortune has the right to buy back the stock owned by V&S.

But Sweden’s financial markets minister Mats Odell has said that the Beam stock will be transferred to the Swedish state for sale at a later time.

The sale is expected to generate 3 to 5 billion kronor ($500 to 830 million).

Fortune Brands sued for an injunction in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Monday, and in Södertörn District Court in Sweden in an attempt to stop the transfer of the stock.

The dispute may delay the planned July completion of the 55 billion kronor sale of V&S to Pernod Richard.

TRADEMARK

Swedish Purity in Absolut Vodka brand battle

Swedish upstart distillery Purity Vodka has taken beverage giant Absolut to court, in an attempt to straighten out a branding and marketing dispute.

Published: 9 January 2014 13:17 CET
Swedish Purity in Absolut Vodka brand battle
The Absolute Ice Bar. File photo: Tom Godber/Flickr

Stockholm district court will look into a claim by small Swedish distillery Purity Vodka's complaint that Absolut used the word 'purity' in a marketing campaign that the former claims infringes on the Purity trademark. 

The Dagens Industri business daily reported on Thursday that Absolut Vodka has used the term 'purity vodka' in a series of advertisements targeted at the US market. 

"We thought they should remove the word 'purity', it is our trademark, but they refused," chairman and Purity Vodka co-founder Göran Bernhoff told the paper. 

The complaint lead to Absolut Vodka countering the act by suing Purity Vodka both in Sweden and in the US.

"I'm surprised that they want to scare us, we are a small company," Bernhoff commented. "But we won't give up." 

Absolut Vodka has a long past of fiercely guarding its trademark. 

In 2010, the Swedish distillers sued British broadcasters at the Absolute Radio station. The dispute resulted in a confidential agreement between the two companies, allowing the radio station to keep its name. 

READ ALSO:  Sweden axes new word after Google intervenes

Last year, a hairdresser in Washington state in the US had to re-brand his salon after the vodka giant objected to his use of Absolute in the business name. His British colleagues appear to have stayed clear of disputes so far. A quick yellow pages search revealed on Thursday that there are still scores of Absolute Beauty salons, from Stirlingshire to Cornwall.

In Sweden, meanwhile, there are Absolute Car Towers and Absolute Catering, among seventeen other entries on phone and address directory website Hitta.se spanning cleaners to dentists.

Absolut is owned by French drinks group Pernod Ricard, which acquired the famed Swedish brand in 2008 when it purchased the Vin & Sprit (V&S) group from the Swedish state for 55 billion kronor ($8.88 billion).

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