Trademark: Genuine Bavarian Beer Logo

First Used: 1957

Registered: 1960

Current Owner: BAYERISCHER BRAUERBUND E.V. [1]

Trademark Type: certification mark; design mark; word mark

Certification For: beer [2]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:

The Bavarian Brewers’ Association, known in Germany as the Bayerischer Brauerbund e.V., was founded in Munich in 1880. Its formation was prompted by a proposed increase in Bavaria’s malt tax, which brewers believed they could oppose more effectively by working together rather than acting individually. Hundreds of breweries joined the new organization, which became a unified voice for an industry that included thousands of breweries across Bavaria at the time. The association adopted a motto that it still uses today: roughly translated, “Through discord, great things are lost. Through unity, small things become great.”

Over the following decades, the association’s role expanded beyond tax and legislative issues. It became the principal representative of Bavaria’s brewing industry, supporting breweries on economic, legal, technical, environmental, and regulatory matters. The association has also worked to promote Bavarian beer, preserve the region’s brewing traditions, and represent breweries of all sizes, from small family-owned operations to some of Bavaria’s largest producers. Today, its members account for more than 80% of the beer produced in Bavaria.

The Genuine Bavarian Beer Logo is a certification mark, certifying that the beer satisfies standards connected to its geographic origin and production (as are the BAYERISCHES BIER® [4] and BAVARIAN BEER® [5] word marks). Remember, unlike trademarks that are typically owned by and used by the same entity, certification marks are owned by one entity (a “certifying entity”), but used by a different entity (a “certified entity”). So what’s it take to be certified to use these certification marks for beer?

To qualify, the beer must: (1) originate in Bavaria; (2) be produced exclusively from malt, hops, yeast, and water; (3) be produced in accordance with European Union regulations governing the geographical indication BAYERISCHES BIER; and (4) come from a brewery that participates in the inspection system established under those regulations. In other words, a brewery outside Bavaria cannot use the certification simply because it follows a Bavarian recipe or produces a Bavarian-style beer.

The Genuine Bavarian Beer Logo itself features the Bavaria statue, a monumental personification of Bavaria located in Munich overlooking the Theresienwiese, the grounds used for Oktoberfest. The figure holds an oak wreath above her head and stands beside a lion, symbols associated with Bavarian strength, identity, and tradition.