Bacardi to relaunch Havana Club rum in U.S.

Reuters reports that Bacardi is planning to re-launch HAVANA CLUB rum in the US. The brand has had a checkered history in the US. Jose Arechabala S.A. originally owned the trademark in Cuba, but the Cuban Government seized the company and all of its assets in 1960. In 1990, Bacardi, just looking for trouble, bought the mark from Arechabala.

In the meantime, the Cuban Government and a French company, Pernod Richard, formed a joint venture to market HAVANA CLUB rum. However, the US Supreme Court ruled that the joint venture had no right to the HAVANA CLUB trademark in the US and the TTAB ruled that the joint venture’s mark was cancelled.

In the light of this ruling, Bacardi has decided to enter the market using the HAVANA CLUB mark even though the joint venture of Cuban government company and Pernod Ricard has been marketing Havana Club-branded rum in many countries outside the United States.

Sounds like a Trademark attorney’s dream-come-true.