Photo Gallery Fucking Hell Beer?
The main tourist attraction of the Austrian village of Fucking, some 35 kilometres northwest of Salzburg, is its sign. It is pronounced "Fooking" in German. Now the village, with a population of just around 90, looks set to get a beer named after it, even though it doesn't have a brewery.
The "Fucking Hell" trademark may raise eyebrows in the Anglo-Saxon world, but it has a genuine meaning in German because "Hell" can be a term for light ale in Austria and southern Germany. So "Fucking Hell" could refer to a light ale from Fucking. The European Union trademarks authority has permitted a German firm to register the trademark. "The word combination claimed contains no semantic indication that could refer to a certain person or group of persons. Nor does it incite a particular act. It cannot even be understood as an instruction that the reader should go to hell," the EU's Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office said in a statement.
A tourist scrutinizes the sign. The village is believed to be named after a 6th century man called Focko. The "Fucking Hell" trademark has been registered by German entrepreneurs Stefan Fellenberg and Florian Krause. Tittelconsulting, a marketing agency, said in a statement on Monday that the owners will use the trademark to manufacture a variety of products including clothing and beer. The new brew is likely to be presented in August or September, Tittelconsulting said. It remains unclear where the beer will be brewed.
So many signs have been stolen over the years that the village held a vote in 2004 on whether to change its ancient name. But the residents voted against the motion. "Twelve or 13 town signs have been stolen. We've taken to fixing them with concrete, welding and rivets," said the mayor of Fucking, Franz Meindl.
