Havana Club releases their strangest cocktail video yet, How to Mojito on the Moon. Check it out.
Havana Club Media
Havana Man makes his debut in Havana Club’s latest stop-motion tv advert. Check it out.
Bacardi Wins Appeal
Following a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling, the ongoing trademark battle between Bacardi and Havana Club Rum may be coming to an end….let’s hope.
____________________________________________________
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled unanimously last week for Bacardi in connection with their packaging and marketing of HAVANA CLUB rum in the United States. Bacardi U.S.A. has defended its position in the wake of ongoing allegations by Pernod Ricard surrounding the sale of HAVANA CLUB rum in the US.
“Bacardi USA commends the Appellate Court’s decision which reaffirms that Bacardi has accurately portrayed both the geographic origin and the Cuban heritage of our HAVANA CLUB rum. The Bacardi HAVANA CLUB rum is based on the original Cuban recipe from the creators of the brand, which was legally purchased by Bacardi and is now produced in Puerto Rico,” said Robert Furniss-Roe, Regional President, Bacardi North America. “This is yet another Court decision supporting Bacardi’s legitimate right to use the name HAVANA CLUB for Puerto Rican rum with a prominent statement of origin on the packaging.”
Specifically, the Appellate Court stated that “no reasonable interpretation of the HAVANA CLUB label as a whole could lead to the conclusion that it is false or misleading.” Accordingly, the Court upheld that there was no need to consider Pernod’s flawed survey evidence.
To date, Bacardi has won all U.S. court cases relating to Bacardi’s marketing of HAVANA CLUB rum and its rights to use the HAVANA CLUB trademark and brand.
On April 6, 2010 the Wilmington, Delaware, District Court ruled that the origin of Bacardi’s HAVANA CLUB rum is geographically accurate as the bottle clearly states Puerto Rican Rum and that it is based on the original Cuban recipe as created by the family of Jose Arechabala. The Court also reconfirmed that “the Cuban government expropriated the Arechabalas’ business without compensation.” The appeal of that decision was argued in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on February 9, 2011.
Today’s ruling affirmed the District Court’s “carefully reasoned” decision, saying “the Court found that the Havana Club brand name reflected the Cuban heritage of the rum’s recipe.” The Appellate Court also stated that the packaging is “factually accurate” and “unambiguous” concerning the geographic origin of HAVANA CLUB rum. The Court added “no reasonable consumer could be misled by those statements and the rest of the label does not put those statements in doubt.”
“Discerning consumers want premium spirits with authenticity and are very savvy when it comes to products they enjoy. They are not easily misled or confused,” added Mr. Furniss-Roe.
Bacardi purchased the rights to the HAVANA CLUB trademark from the creators and original owners, the Arechabala family, who made their rum in Cuba from the 1930s until 1960 and exported it to the United States and other countries until their rum-making facilities and personal assets were seized without compensation during the Cuban revolution.
Havana Club in the Movies
To bring light to Cuba’s “lively, sultry cultural scene” Havana Club co-finances a film called “7 Days in Havana.” Benicio del Toro is one of the directors.
_________________________________________________
Havana Club Makes Push
Havana Club Rum announces lofty sales goals for 2011 and develops a plan to protect their image and reputation worldwide.
________________________________________
Cuba hopes to sell four million cases of Havana Club Rum globally in 2011. Their sales goals come in spite of a recent decision by the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals to not reevaluate their license to sell the product in the US.
Juan Gonzalez Escalona, President of the Cuba Ron Corporation, said that Washington’s decision to not protect the Havana Club trademark is a result of the economic blockade imposed by the U.S. government nearly 50 years.
Gonzalez announced that a serious marketing campaign is underway to increase the sales of the Havana Club rum in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Meanwhile, Arian Remedios Ortega, a specialist with Havana Club International S.A., noted that the company is working on a strategy to defend the brand in cyberspace. He explained that actions including warning internet surfers about possible counterfeit products are underway.
Havana Club’s annual sales growth rates 4th among all spirits brands, only behind Absolut, Johnny Walker and Jameson.
In 2010, 3.8 million cases (of nine litters each) of Havana Club were sold, mainly in Europe (57%) and Cuba (31%).
Havana Club Sales Up
Sales of Cuba’s flagship rum, Havana Club, rose fifteen percent last year as the brand rebounded from a sluggish 2009.
___________________________________________
Havana Club International, formed in 1993 as a partnership between Cuba’s state-run rum monopoly and French wine and spirits maker Pernod Ricard SA, posted sales of 3.8 million cases in 2010, Cuba Ron SA legal adviser Arian Remedios told Cuban news agency Prensa Latina in comments published late Monday.
That is up from 3.3 million cases in 2009 and better than the previous high of 3.4 million in 2008. The company is projecting 4 million cases this year.
Remedios did not give a dollar figure for sales. Each case contains about 2.4 gallons (9 liters) of liquor.
Europe was the leading market with 57 percent of sales, followed by 31 percent in Cuba, 11 percent elsewhere in Latin America and 1 percent in Asia, Prensa Latina reported.
Washington’s decades-old trade embargo against the island prohibits sales of Cuban Havana Club rum in the United States.
Cuba has said in the past that it could increase production to ship 1 million cases to its northern neighbor if the sanctions are lifted, though a trademark dispute would complicate that.
In late March, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that Pernod’s claim to the Havana Club brand was not valid in the United States because it concerns a trademark used by a business that was nationalized by the Cuban government.
Competitor Bacardi uses the Havana Club name in the U.S. for rum produced in Puerto Rico.
Pernod, which said it would appeal, has jousted with Bacardi for years over the label, alleging deceptive advertising of the non-Cuban rum.
Since the Cuban government and Pernod teamed up in 1993, Havana Club has averaged about 15 percent annual growth before the global economic downturn led to a 3 percent slide in 2009.
Havana Club TM Battle
Pernod Ricard and Havana Club International appear encouraged by the dissenting opinion of the DC Circut Court regarding their ongoing trademark case.
________________________________
HC Trademark Battle Continues
Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a 2-to-1 ruling in a controversial decision stripping Cubaexport of its United States rights in the 35-year-old trademark registration for Havana Club. Havana Club International, a joint venture between Pernod Ricard and Corporación Cuba Ron, has vowed to work with Cubaexport to seek a rehearing from this decision and to continue to defend the Havana Club trademark in the United States.
This decision is based on Section 211, which has been condemned by the World Trade Organization and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Today’s decision does not give any rights in the Havana Club trademark to Bacardi. To the contrary, Bacardi’s efforts to register Havana Club trademark were rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Ian FitzSimons, General Counsel Pernod Ricard, said: “We strongly disagree with the court’s decision but are encouraged by the dissenting opinion of Judge Silberman who stated ‘The court’s opinion, in my view, is unsound doctrinally, both with regard to principles of statutory interpretation and to basic tenets of administrative law.’ Therefore, Cubaexport will seek a rehearing by the Court of Appeals.”
“By virtue of its 1976 trademark registration, Cubaexport owns the Havana Club trademark in the United States. It is surprising that a U.S. court would allow an intellectual property right to be destroyed retroactively by refusing to allow renewal of this trademark registration”, stated FitzSimons.
The decision has no effect on the Havana Club trademark in other countries. Havana Club joint venture has always successfully defended its ownership on the Havana Club trademark, registered in over 120 countries where the Cuban rum is commercialized. In fact, last February, the Supreme Court of Spain decisively rejected Bacardi’s claims to own the Havana Club trademark in that country.
Since the founding of Havana Club International in 1993, the Havana Club brand has become one of the most valuable brands in the spirits industry. Today, Havana Club rums are sold in more than 120 countries around the world. The Havana Club brand is one of the trendiest and most valuable brands in the spirits industry; it is listed as the No. 2 international rum brand worldwide, excluding the U.S. market, and the No. 3 top Elite Brand on the rankings published by IWSR.
Havana Club Media
Havana Club rolls out a new series of TV commercials for their “Nothing Compares to Havana” campaign. Funny, you never see a bottle of rum in these ads.
___________________________________________________
Tagline: Nothing Compares to Havana
Ad agency: M&C Saatchi GAD
Advertiser: Pernod Ricard
Brand: Havana Club
Exiting the “late night salsa club” theme that Havana Club commercials are known for, the ad agency of M&C Saatchi pulls together unusual streetscape scenes for the latest HC television ads. The four 20-second clips are subtle and even funny at times, but don’t scream “good times” like the majority of high-end liquor advertising. This is surely a new approach.
Take a look and let us know what you think in the comments section.
.
The Kitchen
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_45pAotrvGY&NR=1[/youtube]
.
Trombones
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S17ULL08qW4&feature=related[/youtube]
.
Wedding Bike
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6Ly04Phisg&feature=related[/youtube]
.
Motorcycle
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2cAWMBPNAY&feature=related[/youtube]
.
.
“My mojito in La Bodeguita…” EH
A bbq aficionado’s journey to Cuba results in true love for mojitos. Included is a classic recipe from La Bodeguita del Medio, Hemingway’s hangout.
Click here for the full story.
“My daiquiri in El Floridita.” EH
A young actor-turned-bartender gives up the goods on El Floridita, including the original daiquiri recipe that Papa Hemingway enjoyed daily.
Click here to read the whole article.