MILWAUKEE — Anheuser-Busch InBev is dropping its “Fan Cans” promotions from communities around the country where colleges have complained that the effort — which sells cans of Bud Light in school colors — promotes underage drinking and infringes on trademarks.
The Federal Trade Commission has discussed the issue with the St. Louis-based brewer.
Regulators are concerned that cans will be marketed to fans under the legal drinking age of 21, said Janet Evans, a senior attorney at the FTC responsible for alcohol-marketing issues.
The University of Colorado at Boulder objected not only because of concerns about protecting its trademarks but also because of worries that the effort could jeopardize its relationship with MillerCoors, spokesman Bronson Hilliard said.
Coors Brewing Co. is based in nearby Golden. The industry’s regulations require at least 70 percent of an advertisement’s audience to be above 21, and Evans said that doesn’t happen on college campuses.
