Aldi wins beer court case against AB InBev

Aldi can sell its own beer Buval in the original red can again, even though there is no denying it looks very much like a can of Jupiler. AB InBev had filed a court case in 2015, but the ruling is that the discounter is not in the wrong.

Like two drops of … beer

The world’s largest brewer went to court in 2015 because it felt Buval’s can, discounter Aldi’s beer, resembled its own Jupiler can too much: both were red, with a black animal silhouette on a white shield (judge for yourself). Buval focused on a horse’s head while Jupiler had its famous bull, but nevertheless… The discounter quickly decided to alter the beer’s design into a golden design.

At first, Aldi was indeed proven wrong, but it appealed and has now been proven right. The judge feels the name and not the can’s design is what matters and that there is no confusion seeing how Aldi does not sell Jupiler.

It is the second time Aldi won a Belgian court case involving its beer: Duvel Moortgat also headed to court in that same year, because it felt the Buval name resembled its Duvel name too much. However, Aldi also won that court case, because both beers target a different slice of the market. 

Whether this new “victory” will bring back Buval in its original design, remains to be seen and “still has not been decided”, according to an Aldi spokesperson in Belgian newspaper De Tijd. AB InBev can still appeal the case, but that has “also not yet been decided”, the Louvain-based company added.