Dispute over trademark use in Eberswalder sausages looms - Battle Over ‘Eberswalde Sausages’ Name Heats Up as Factory Closes
A dispute over the use of the 'Eberswalde Sausages' name has arisen as EWN Wurstspezialitäten GmbH & Co. KG prepares to close its sausage factory in Britz. The company claims it can keep using the brand at other sites, but the East Brandenburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) insists production must stay within the Eberswalde region to carry the name.
The conflict centres on a collective trademark held by the IHK since 1995. This mark, established in 1987, protects the 'Eberswalde Sausages' name and ties it strictly to production in the Eberswalde area. The IHK argues that no one outside this region can legally use the name, even if they once operated there.
EWN’s legal team disagrees. They maintain that the company owns a separate word-and-figure trademark for 'Eberswalde' and can continue using it at other East German locations. The Britz plant, now part of the Zur-Mühlen Group (a Tönnies subsidiary since 2023), is shutting down, but EWN wants to keep the brand alive elsewhere. The IHK’s position remains firm: only authorised producers within the Eberswalde region can label their sausages as 'Eberswalde'. This restriction aims to preserve the product’s regional identity and traditional methods.
The closure of the Britz factory has brought the trademark dispute into sharp focus. EWN’s future use of the 'Eberswalde' name now depends on legal clarification. For now, the IHK’s rules mean only sausages made in Eberswalde can officially bear the protected title.
