Overview
- The case stems from a Potsdam court referral after the Verband Sozialer Wettbewerb challenged a product sold as 'Virgin Gin Alkoholfrei'.
- The Court held that the term 'gin' is clearly prohibited for non‑alcoholic beverages even when labeled 'alcohol‑free'.
- Judges found the naming restriction compatible with entrepreneurial freedom under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
- Producers may continue selling the drinks only if they rebrand them without the word 'gin'.
- The Potsdam regional court must now decide the dispute in line with the ECJ’s binding interpretation in case C‑563/24.