Pernod Ricard – South African trademarks
Updated 8 November 2026
Pernod Ricard is a French wine and spirits group. Its brands include Absolut, Jameson, Chivas Regal, Ballantine's, Beefeater and Mumm.
How Pernod Ricard has built and protected its brands in South Africa – its trademark portfolio, where it expanded, how quickly its marks are registered, and who it competes with.
Download report (PDF)Pernod Ricard trademarks in 45 seconds
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/pernod-ricard-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html
A portfolio built over time
Pernod Ricard filed its first South African trademark in 1929 and has filed 210 since; its busiest year was 2023, with 21 new filings. The chart shows its filings per year from 1970.
Trademarks by filing year, up to 2024; applications still pending are not included.
The names behind the portfolio
Over the years the group has filed under several names – earlier company names, holding companies and subsidiaries. We count them together.
| Name | Marks | Filing years |
|---|---|---|
| Pernod Ricard | 111 | 1929–2023 |
| Pernod Ricard Mexico | 31 | 1979–2017 |
| Pernod Ricard USA | 31 | 1963–2023 |
| Pernod Ricard South Africa | 30 | 1948–2021 |
| Pernod Ricard Winemakers | 9 | 2000–2016 |
| Pernod Ricard Mexico SA de Cv A | 7 | 2018–2023 |
| Pernod Ricard India | 3 | 2012–2012 |
| Pernod Ricard Italia | 3 | 2011–2012 |
Where Pernod Ricard expanded its business
Trademark classes show what a business sells. Pernod Ricard's portfolio is concentrated in wines & spirits (class 33), education & entertainment (class 41), advertising & retail (class 35). Its most recent moves were into transport & travel (2017), processing materials (2017), furniture (2015).
Pernod Ricard trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2023
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/pernod-ricard-south-african-trademarks/class-expansion-video.html
Each tile is a class; it lights up when the group first files in it and darkens with more filings; the dots show how many of its closest rivals also file in that class. The chart compares the number of classes used with its rivals. The video runs from 1970; classes entered earlier are lit from the start.
| Class | Marks | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 Wines & spirits | 116 | 55.2% | 1929 |
| 41 Education & entertainment | 19 | 9.0% | 2001 |
| 35 Advertising & retail | 18 | 8.6% | 2001 |
| 9 Electronics & software | 13 | 6.2% | 2012 |
| 43 Restaurants & hotels | 10 | 4.8% | 2001 |
| 32 Beer & soft drinks | 9 | 4.3% | 1968 |
| 16 Paper & print | 5 | 2.4% | 2011 |
| 21 Kitchenware | 4 | 1.9% | 2011 |
The brands Pernod Ricard protects most
The word marks and logo names Pernod Ricard has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.
| # | Brand | Trademarks | Classes | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DRINKS & CO | 15 | 8 | 2017–2020 |
| 2 | OPN | 14 | 7 | 2015–2015 |
| 3 | CREATEURS DE CONVIVIALITE | 10 | 7 | 2018–2023 |
| 4 | LE CERCLE BY PERNOD RICARD | 8 | 4 | 2014–2021 |
| 5 | PERNOD RICARD SOUTH AFRICA | 6 | 6 | 2001–2001 |
| 6 | SWITCH ON THE NIGHT | 6 | 6 | 2013–2013 |
| 7 | PERNOD RICARD | 6 | 5 | 2020–2023 |
| 8 | OLMECA | 6 | 4 | 1979–2023 |
| 9 | RICARD | 5 | 3 | 1972–2005 |
| 10 | LCE | 4 | 4 | 2021–2021 |
| 11 | AVION | 3 | 3 | 2023–2023 |
| 12 | BE THE DJ | 3 | 3 | 2012–2012 |
| 13 | EASY24 | 3 | 3 | 2022–2022 |
| 14 | RED HEART | 3 | 1 | 1948–1994 |
| 15 | GLOSS | 2 | 2 | 2004–2004 |
Logos filed most often (since 2020)
Pernod Ricard's logos
The 9 different logos Pernod Ricard has had published since 2020 – each logo shown once, however many classes or versions it was filed in. Logos protected in more classes come first.
How quickly its trademarks are registered
Over the last five years, Pernod Ricard's marks took a median of 2.4 years from filing to registration, faster than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 1.6 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance.
Median years from filing to registration per registration year, split into examination (filing → acceptance) and acceptance → registration; the dashed line is the market median. A high recent value means older applications came through that year.
Who files the most in Pernod Ricard's classes
Ranked by number of trademarks filed in Pernod Ricard's main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows Pernod Ricard's market position, not who is most like it.
In the last five years, Pernod Ricard was #17 of 1,088 filers in class 33 (wines & spirits), with 12 of 2,324 trademarks; #55 of 3,121 filers in class 41 (education & entertainment), with 10 of 6,243 trademarks; #52 of 5,866 filers in class 35 (advertising & retail), with 12 of 11,124 trademarks.
Pernod Ricard's share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.
Top trademark filers in class 33 (wines & spirits), South Africa 1975–2024: Pernod Ricard
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/pernod-ricard-south-african-trademarks/class-33-race-video.html
Main competitors – the companies most like Pernod Ricard
Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to Pernod Ricard's – the same mix of classes and the same words in their marks – not by size. Large filers in its classes that do something different rank lower here.
Pernod Ricard's closest competitors in South Africa are DGB, Suntory, Ajpg Investments and Charles Back Trademark Trust.
Pernod Ricard trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/pernod-ricard-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html
Trademark filings per year: Pernod Ricard (orange) and its five closest competitors.
| # | Company | Relationship | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DGB | Direct competitor | 96% |
| 2 | Suntory | Direct competitor | 90% |
| 3 | Ajpg Investments | Direct competitor | 90% |
| 4 | Charles Back Trademark Trust | Direct competitor | 76% |
| 5 | Spier | Direct competitor | 76% |
| 6 | Time Being of the Aj and F Charnaud Tru… | Direct competitor | 69% |
| 7 | Bacardi and | Direct competitor | 69% |
| 8 | Distell | Direct competitor | 69% |
| 9 | Sazerac Brands | Direct competitor | 68% |
| 10 | KWV | Direct competitor | 68% |
Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.
Pernod Ricard – relevant export countries
South Africa exported US$2.5 billion of the goods Pernod Ricard's main classes cover in the last year – alcoholic beverages; beer; wine; liqueurs (class 33); computer software; computers; downloadable software; cases (class 9); beer; fruit juices; syrups; smoothies (class 32); books; posters; stickers (class 16); mugs; cups; drinking glasses (class 21). Combining where these goods are exported, imported, growing and made (and copied), and what protection costs, these are the markets where Pernod Ricard's trademarks matter most.
Adjust the weightings
These weightings decide how the countries below are ranked. Change any value and the others adjust to keep the total at 100%.
Worldwide
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Union | 82 | US$445 m | +3% | National | US$2,388 |
| 2 | United States of America | 74 | US$134 m | +3% | National | US$3,425 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 70 | US$187 m | -1% | National | US$1,371 |
| 4 | Japan | 62 | US$22 m | +3% | National | US$1,774 |
| 5 | Canada | 60 | US$35 m | -4% | National | US$2,192 |
| 6 | Hong Kong SAR | 58 | US$3.9 m | +12% | National | US$1,715 |
| 7 | India | 57 | US$4.6 m | -4% | National | US$1,295 |
| 8 | Australia | 56 | US$14 m | -4% | National | US$2,380 |
| 9 | Singapore | 55 | US$4.8 m | +20% | National | US$2,144 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 55 | US$7.4 m | -3% | National | US$1,660 |
Africa
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namibia | 51 | US$272 m | +12% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 2 | Nigeria | 48 | US$25 m | -9% | National | US$1,015 S&Z |
| 3 | OAPI (17 states) | 46 | US$25 m | +3% | National | US$1,563 S&Z |
| 4 | Botswana | 46 | US$254 m | -10% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 5 | Mozambique | 45 | US$147 m | -2% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | 45 | US$128 m | +2% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 7 | Lesotho | 44 | US$89 m | +2% | National | US$326 |
| 8 | Eswatini | 43 | US$97 m | -5% | National | US$446 |
| 9 | Tanzania | 43 | US$34 m | -6% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 10 | Algeria | 43 | US$384 k | +31% | National | US$1,445 |
SA exports = South Africa's exports of these goods to the market in the last year. Ranked with the default weightings. Score 0–100 from South Africa's exports of the goods to the market, net imports, import growth, foreign trademark filings, where the goods are made, market size and the cost of protection. Costs are total fees (official and professional) to file in 5 classes; ARIPO costs are per country, plus US$301 once per ARIPO application; S&Z = S&Z's own all-in price. Goods are taken from the classes and specifications, so the ranking is indicative.
Trade data: CEPII BACI (version 202601, trade flows 2022–2024), Licence Etalab 2.0; aggregated and combined with other data by S&Z.
Protecting its top brands in Nigeria and OAPI with S&Z
| Brand | Classes | Nigeria | OAPI (17 states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DRINKS & CO | 8 | US$1,624 | US$2,117 |
| OPN | 7 | US$1,421 | US$1,932 |
| CREATEURS DE CONVIVIALITE | 7 | US$1,421 | US$1,932 |
| LE CERCLE BY PERNOD RICARD | 4 | US$812 | US$1,378 |
| PERNOD RICARD SOUTH AFRICA | 6 | US$1,218 | US$1,748 |
S&Z all-in prices per brand in its number of classes, filing to registration.
TM Country Selection Rank the countries for your own goods and get the quotes.
Word marks you may have considered opposing
For Pernod Ricard's five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not Pernod Ricard's own group) that our similar word mark search, SimTM, found in the brand's own classes, and that we consider confusingly similar – from the earliest match found to today.
Similar to DRINKS & CO (classes 9, 32, 33, 35, 39, 40, 41, 43; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to OPN (classes 7, 11, 16, 20, 21, 32, 33; searched 2018-04-25 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to CREATEURS DE CONVIVIALITE (classes 9, 16, 33, 35, 36, 41, 43; searched 2018-02-28 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to LE CERCLE BY PERNOD RICARD (classes 33, 35, 41, 43; searched 2018-03-28 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to PERNOD RICARD SOUTH AFRICA (classes 33, 35, 36, 38, 41, 43; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similarity of the words only. Whether a mark could have been opposed depends on the goods and services, the reputation of the brand and the facts – S&Z can advise. New marks like these are what SimTM watch reports as they are published.
How S&Z can help you
S&Z does not just file trademarks. We are a technology-first firm that manages trademarks – analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected.
We manage your trademarks – not just file them
Analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected:
Filing and renewal at fixed, all-inclusive prices
S&Z prices – South African trademarks
| Filing, first class – incl. official fee, examination report, routine office action, acceptance, publication, registration and e-certificate | US$240 |
| Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same time | US$225 |
| Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing) | R1,027 ≈ US$62.29 |
Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.
Pernod Ricard's next five years of renewals
69 of Pernod Ricard's registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$4,298 over the five years.
Pernod Ricard: frequently asked questions
What should Pernod Ricard consider for its trademarks?
- Where to file next: its goods sell strongly in Namibia, Nigeria and OAPI (17 states) – markets where South African exports of the same goods are large or growing, and where S&Z files at its own all-in prices (see “Pernod Ricard – relevant export countries”).
- Possible gaps: its competitors also protect class 30 (coffee, flour & sweets), class 29 (meat, dairy & oils) – worth checking against what the business sells or plans to sell.
- Fewer new brands: new brand names fell from 2.2 to 2.0 a year – worth reviewing whether planned launches are being protected early enough.
- Renewals and use: keep track of the ten-year renewal dates and of marks that are no longer used – unused marks can be challenged after five years, and some may no longer be worth renewing.