FR: Anheuser-Busch Gives Up

The brewing company Anheuser-Busch, which is paying an estimated $30m to co-sponsor the World Cup Soccer championship in France in 1998, has given up its fight to advertise its Budweiser beer brand through poster sites inside the French stadiums where the matches will be played. The Loi Evin bans all alcohol advertising and sponsorship from appearing on TV Anheuser-Busch has sold the outdoor advertising space to Casio, the Japanese consumer electronics group. This decision could add further pressure within the EU to have the Loi Evin ruled illegal on the grounds that it impedes the free and fair movement of goods and services within the Community.