RIBENA
Ribena has been registered in the UK for blackcurrant beverages since the product was developed by HW Carter & Co in Bristol in 1936. During World War II, the British government distributed Ribena free to children as a source of Vitamin C when citrus fruits were unavailable. This wartime association gave the brand a unique place in British social history and helped establish the trademark's extraordinary consumer recognition.
UK IPO Record
- Application Number
- UK00916737447
- Word Mark
- Ribena
- Status
- Registered
- Applied
- 17 May 2017
- Registered
- 4 September 2017
- Next Renewal
- 17 May 2027
- Owner
- Lucozade Ribena Suntory Limited
- Nice Classes
- Class 32
Trademark Classification
Nice Class 32 covers beverages. View all Class 32 trademarks and case studies →
Brand History & Trademark Analysis
Ribena was created in the 1930s by Dr Vernon Charley at the Long Ashton Research Station near Bristol. The name derives from "Ribes nigrum," the Latin species name for blackcurrant. SmithKline Beecham, which had acquired the brand, was subject to a major enforcement action in New Zealand in 2004, where the Commerce Commission found that advertising claiming Ribena blackcurrant drink contained high levels of Vitamin C was misleading. Suntory of Japan acquired Ribena when it purchased the Lucozade and Ribena brands from GlaxoSmithKline in 2013.