Overview
- The Landgericht Kiel rejected the Schutzverband der Spirituosen-Industrie’s claim, calling the designation unproblematic under consumer-protection rules, according to court spokesman Markus Richter.
- The court found no risk of confusion with Eierlikör and said terms such as "Likör ohne Ei" and "Alternative ohne Ei" are permissible for the product.
- The producer was ordered to pay €5,000 for breaching a prior cease-and-desist undertaking tied to earlier use of the wording "Eierlikör ohne Ei"; both sides may appeal to the Schleswig-Holstein Higher Regional Court.
- The decision contrasts with a 2024 Landgericht Hamburg ruling that deemed phrases like "Eierlikör-Alternative" or "veganer Likör ohne Eier" to be unlawful allusions to the protected category.
- The small Henstedt-Ulzburg maker financed its defense through crowdfunding and a special-edition label where a rooster feather obscures the final letter to read "Likör ohne E."