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Diageo looks to take on vodka imitators
Diageo is prepared to take legal action against any company that attempts to use the term “vodka” for products which are not now classed as such under new legislation.
Following successful legal action against Vodkat earlier this year, which made vodka a protected term like Scotch Whisky or Champagne, Diageo said any further “misleading” brands would also be taken to court.
Vodkat’s owner, Intercontinental Brands, announced last week that it had paid Diageo “a substantial sum” in damages and that Vodkat would reappear with a different name and packaging.
Diageo managing director, Simon Litherland, said that this “test case” for both Diageo and the vodka industry had made it clear that vodka is a protectable category and that "we can prevent people from selling products likely to confuse or mislead consumers into thinking they are vodka when they are not.”
The owners of 22% abv Vodgrad, Landmark Wholesale, said it would review the name but stressed that it considered the brand as being extremely “valuable to its operations".
Rupert Millar, 22.12.2010