Tom Powell
A BITTER row has been brewing in Cordoba between the cathedral and Spanish beer company Mahou.
Cathedral authorities were caught on the hop by the brewery giant when they tried to register their famous Mezquita as a trademark.
Because, as it turns out, Mahou already produces a beer called Mezquita.
Now the Supreme Court in Madrid has ruled against the cathedral and ordered it to pay €1,500 in costs to Mahou.
The Mezquita insists that there were no plans to go into the brewing trade, just to safeguard the name.
The problem arose when the famous mosque-cathedral, a World Heritage Site, began registering trademarks for everything from cosmetics and furniture to toys and tea.
They ignored the fact that a Mezquita beer was already produced by Mahou, who appealed to the Patents office and the case ended up in court.
Mezquita spokesman José Jiménez Giieto insisted that the trademarks were registered
without any ‘economic intent’.
He claimed it is done so that anybody else attempting to use the name must first gain the cathedral’s consent.
