Pernod Ricard loses lawsuit on Bacardi's Havana Club Rum

A lawsuit by Pernod Ricard SA had been rejected to stop rival Bacardi Ltd from selling “Havana Club” branded rum in the United States.

Both companies sell rum under the Havana Club name, Pernod outside the United States and Bacardi within it. Tuesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson in Wilmington, Delaware, was the latest in more than 13 years of U.S. litigation between the companies over which company controls the trademarked name. The only Havana Club-branded rum sold in the United States is Bacardi's, the judge said. Pernod Ricard USA Intends to appeal the ruling.