Amsterdam coffeeshop The Bulldog loses energy drink multimillion-euro case against Red Bull
When you say energy drink, chances are you think of Red Bull. You may well have drunk it to excess during your teenage years. The brand has been in a dispute for years with Amsterdam coffeeshop The Bulldog, the oldest coffeeshop in Amsterdam (which came up with the drink Kratombucha). It all has to do with the possible development of a new energy drink, which was supposed to be called The Bulldog Energy Drink. It never came to that. There has now been a new development in the case.
So what exactly is going on? In the late 1990s, coffeeshop owner Henk de Vries of The Bull Dog wanted to launch his own energy drink. It would therefore be called The Bulldog Energy Drink. Red Bull put a stop to that. After all, an energy drink that also contained the word ‘bull’ would constitute trademark infringement against Red Bull. Something they refused to accept, and so they took the matter to court. (Apparently, people who drink Red Bull are difficult people… Could it have something to do with that?)
Huge compensation claim
That was in 2010. Red Bull won the case at the time. But seven years later, that ruling was overturned by the Court of Appeal. It ruled that The Bulldog had not infringed Red Bull’s trademark rights after all. Coffeeshop owner De Vries was not happy about that. According to him, The Bulldog had missed out on huge amounts of money because they had been unable to sell their energy drink during all those years. His demand? Compensation of around €65 million from Red Bull.
This is the ruling (and they will have to live with it)
The court has now refused to agree. The reason given is that there is absolutely no evidence that De Vries would have sold his The Bulldog Energy Drink for such an enormous amount—if it had been determined in 2010 that he was allowed to sell it. The Bulldog has therefore come off worst. The coffeeshop must now even pay Red Bull: €21,000 in legal costs and €500 for every day that Red Bull maintained a bank guarantee to cover the enormous €65 million amount. Ouch.
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