Budweiser Trade Dress
Trademark: Budweiser Trade Dress
Current Owner: ANHEUSER-BUSCH, LLC [1]
Trademark Type: non-traditional trademark; trade dress; configuration mark; position mark
Primarily Associated With: beer [2][3]
Brief (and likely incomplete) History [4]:
Budweiser, Bud Light, the King of Beers, no matter what name you call it, you know what it is (and remember that sweet metallic taste of the beer). When you see a bottle or can, do you instantly recognize it? Even if you don’t see the brand name? Anheuser-Busch owns two unique trademark registrations covering the visual look of its bottles and cans – let’s take a look!
The Budweiser Red Crown Tab position mark was first used and registered as a trademark in 2011, used as product packaging in connection with the sale of beer. The trademark consists of a red pull tab having a crown design and located on the top of a beer can. Drawing inspiration from Budweiser’s historic "crown" iconography—which dates back to its early 20th-century branding—the Budweiser Red Crown Tab was designed to function as a subtle yet iconic extension of the brand’s royal theme. The use of the crown and the signature red color reflect the brand’s long-standing heritage as the (self-proclaimed) “King of Beers,” reinforcing its premium image while maintaining visual continuity with Budweiser’s broader packaging design.
The Bud Light Blue Bottle configuration mark was first used and registered as a trademark in 2016, used as product packaging in connection with the sale of beer. The trademark covers the distinctive, non-transparent blue aluminum bottle used for Bud Light, introduced as part of a broader innovation strategy to modernize beer packaging. The blue color for Bud Light was intended to convey a colder, more refreshing aesthetic and to contrast against the red color of Budweiser. The blue color was slowly phased into the Bud Light logo over time, with initial Bud Light logos lightly featuring the color blue before being solidified in an all-blue design in 2016.
Budweiser also owns one of the more unique non-traditional trademarks we have found: a live Clydesdale horse used in connection with the sale of beer. Check it out here!
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[1] Anheuser-Busch, https://www.anheuser-busch.com/.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,065,690, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85142261&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 5,064,448, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87056102&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[4] History, BUDWEISER, available at https://us.budweiser.com/history; Building An American Icon, ANHEUSER-BUSCH, available at https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/heritage; Budweiser: The Story of America’s King of Beers, GIGGLE ON THE ROCKS, posted October 30, 2024, and available at https://gigglesontherocks.com/budweiser-the-story-of-americas-king-of-beers/; The Complete History Of The Budweiser Logo, LOGO DESIGN MAGAZINE, available at https://www.logodesign.org/the-complete-history-of-the-budweiser-logo/; The King of Beers vs. the Beer of Kings, WWEEK, posted June 4, 2022, and available at https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-1056-the-king-of-beers-vs-the-beer-of-kings.html.