Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing...

So, last fall I reviewed and briefly discussed the Budvar/Czechvar saga.  The worldwide battle continues, this time in the European Union's trademark court.  To summarize the excellent IPKat commentary, the fight this time was over Budvar's contention that it had exclusive rights in its name as an "appellation of origin" rather than as a true trademark (since Anheuser Busch was smart enough not to try registering BUDWEISER for beer as a Community Trademark).  The court rejected Budvar's case, but left the door open for them to bring the same claims in a friendlier forum like a French provincial court. 

In related news, there's now a running scorecard for the various AB / Budvar fights around the globe.  Seriously, why can't these crazy kids sit down and work it out over a couple pints?