Corona owner: we have opposed 100 trademark applications

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Corona owner: we have opposed 100 trademark applications

corona-600-compressed.jpg

The in-house lawyer responsible for protecting the ‘Corona’ trademark has noticed a significant uptick in enforcement activity

The brewing company that owns the Corona beer brand has taken action against around 100 trademark applications since the COVID-19 pandemic struck earlier this year, a senior in-house lawyer for the company has revealed.

Federico Bueno Icaza, global IP director at AB InBev, says there has been a significant uptick in trademark enforcement activity as the company seeks to protect the Mexican brand from potentially infringing and opportunistic applications.

Icaza believes he has taken action against roughly 100 applications containing the term ‘Corona’ since February.

“Generally the number of applications [that require action across all brands] tends to fluctuate. But this is a very specific problem – we are probably dealing with about 10 to 15 applications per month,” he tells Managing IP.

Icaza believes the ‘Corona’ trademark – and overall brand, which has been in the market for almost 100 years – is strong.

“In our view, it’s a very strong trademark with a very distinctive trade dress. The longneck transparent bottle, the printed (not stickered) label and its gold colour and crisp taste all contribute to its overall success as a brand.”

Icaza was speaking to Managing IP as part of a wider interview on AB InBev’s IP strategy. The full interview, in which we also speak to Pieter van den Bulck – another global IP director and in charge of AB InBev’s European matters – will be published this week.  



more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Paul Hastings and Smart & Biggar also won multiple awards, while Baker McKenzie picked up a significant prize
Burford Capital study finds that in-house lawyers have become more likely to monetise patents, but that their IP portfolios are still underutilised
Robert Reading and Faidon Zisis at Clarivate unpick some of the data surrounding music-related trademarks
China's latest IP litigation statistics and a high-profile hire by O'Melveny were also among the top talking points this week
David Aylen, who spent more than 20 years at Gowling WLG, has joined United Trademark and Patent Services as of counsel in the UAE
Europe is among the most lucrative legal markets for PE firms to bet on, but clients’ reactions will decide whether external investment drives success
Rulings of note covered pre-June 2023 infringements and jurisdiction over non-UPC states, while winners of Managing IP’s EMEA Awards acted in multiple cases
Jason Blair, a former special marks examiner, said Dykema’s Texas presence will help him build deeper connections with clients
Lee Curtis and Rachel Platts at HGF discuss the rise of the ‘intention economy’ and its impact on trademark law
Martin Wintermeier discusses taking a hit for clients, not letting stress get to you, and why being a criminal defence lawyer might have been fun
Gift this article