Wyborowa trademark dispute pits Pernod Ricard against Polish government

A dispute is brewing between Pernod Ricard, owner of the Poznan-based Wyborowa company, and the Polish government over the registration of the Wyborowa vodka trade mark. Pernod Ricard has announced it will invest zl.35 million in promoting the trademark as part of plans to gain a 10% share of the domestic spirits market. However, the Polish government has its own ideas about the trademark, and has applied to the European Union (EU) to register Wyborowa as domestic intellectual property. This would mean keeping the production of Wyborowa in its place of origin. Even though it refutes any suggestion that it intends to move production out of Poland, Pernod Ricard still opposes the government plan, insisting that it is the sole owner of the Wyborowa trademark. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) M.T.