Jägermeister in imitation crackdown

Jägermeister is ramping up its “Get Tough” campaign against bars which pass off imitation products as the German spirit.

The brand is also extending protection to the JägerBomb and JBomb, with the campaign stating: “Only Jägermeister should be served when a customer asks for Jägermeister, JägerBomb and JBomb”.

Since the “Get Tough” campaign began in August 2011 a number of bars which were found to have passed off other brands as Jägermeister are in the process of signing legally enforceable agreements not to do so.

A further wave of visits to bars where passing off is alleged is being instigated for the north west and Glasgow

Jägermeister threatened legal action against several bars in the Midlands and north of England. Enquiries by private investigators revealed that the bars served substitute products in place of Jägermeister, when Jägermeister was asked for by name. This was confirmed by laboratory tests.

The investigations and tests also showed that in some cases substitute products had been poured from Jägermeister-branded bottles.

The actions arose from a UK‐wide crack-down on suspected passing off and infringements of Mast-Jägermeister trademarks and intellectual property.

A statement said: Mast­‐Jägermeister has been monitoring the situation in the on-trade in the wake of its phenomenal growth in the UK – total sales rose more than 100% in the last 12 months.

“Sales of Jägermeister are forecast to reach in the region of 500,000 cases in the UK in 2011

“Both the Jägermeister and Jägerbomb trademarks are the intellectual property of Mast-Jägermeister. The company considers maintenance of Jägermeister’s reputation to be of the utmost importance and is pledged to police vigorously and to pursue any violation of its trademarks or legal rights.”

Jägermeister, which translates as “master hunter”, is one of the best selling premium spirits brands in the world and sold in more than 80 countries worldwide.