Carlsberg will scrap the Myanmar language spelling of Tuborg beer after the family of a local musician accused the Danish beer giant of stealing a phrase he coined to market their product.
Myoma Nyein’s song ‘Tu Po’ has become known as a popular soundtrack to the Thingyan festival in April. His family was upset when Carlsberg’s Tuborg brew entered the market last year with the transliteration ‘Tu Po’.
Responding to an ultimatum that the firm withdraw the spelling or face the courts, Carlsberg drew up new designs for the cans and bottles – without a Myanmar language translation.
In statement sent to Coconuts Yangon on Wednesday, Carlsberg said: “In light of the claims of the relatives of the late Sayar Myoma Nyein and the general debate about the use of တ ူးပ in the marketing of Tuborg ို့ Beer, we will discontinue the use of this spelling going forward and, to avoid any future misinterpretation, the original Danish brand name “Tuborg” will be used in Myanmar.
“Fun and music is part of Tuborg’s DNA. Tuborg has been brewed since 1875, and Carlsberg’s creative aspiration was to create a tagline that conveys the spirit of fun and music which is what the Tuborg brand communicates globally.
“We are taking immediate steps to implement the necessary modifications and will endeavor to have this completed before Thingyan. We appreciate the public’s patience while this is ongoing. We respect Myanmar sentiment and we remain committed to fair and transparent business practices in the Myanmar market.”
U Shoon Myaing, the son of Myoma Nyein, said he saw the announcement on social media.
He said the family’s position had always been firm on the name.
“We don’t even let [any] other businesses use this word for their ads.”
