Ficken

Ficken is a German liqueur brand produced by EFAG GmbH & Co. KG, based in Laupheim in the Biberach district of Baden-Württemberg. Introduced in 2007, the brand is positioned as a "Partyschnaps" (party schnapps) and is known for its provocative name, which has sparked debates about trademark morality and youth protection. The liqueur is made from water, neutral alcohol, invert sugar, jostaberry base, and citric acid, with an alcohol content of 15% ABV. The jostaberry is a cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry, developed at the Max Planck Institute in the 1960s. The brand's official website, partyschnaps.com, promotes the product with humorous, double-entendre marketing and offers variations such as alcohol-free Ficken, Glühficken (mulled Ficken), and cocktail recipes. The company also sells merchandising articles under the trademark. Ficken has faced regulatory scrutiny: in 2008, the German Advertising Council criticized the manufacturer for youth-endangering advertising; in 2010, the German Fire Brigade Association threatened to relocate a competition due to a party package including Ficken bottles; and in 2012, a district office in Berlin-Treptow-Köpenick banned a poster with the slogan "Ficken ist schön" (Ficken is beautiful). Despite initial rejection by the German Patent and Trademark Office, the brand was successfully registered as a trademark in 2011 following appeals to the Federal Patent Court. The brand remains active and is distributed primarily in Germany.

Ficken was introduced in 2007 by four friends who ran a bar in Biberach, Germany. According to the brand's official history, the idea for the liqueur emerged from a "Schnapsidee" (drunken idea) at a bar called "Die Unheilbare" in Biberach. The name was chosen to polarize, and the product was marketed as a party schnapps. The company behind the brand is EFAG GmbH & Co. KG, based in Laupheim, Baden-Württemberg. The acronym EFAG stands for "einfach FICKEN, alles gut" (simply FICKEN, everything's fine). In 2008, the German Advertising Council (Zentralverband der Deutschen Werbewirtschaft) reprimanded the manufacturer for youth-endangering advertising. The liqueur is made from water, neutral alcohol, invert sugar, jostaberry base, and citric acid, with an alcohol content of 15% ABV. Because it contains at least 15% alcohol and at least 100 g sugar per liter, it falls under the EU Spirits Regulation but is subject to Branntwein tax rather than the higher Alcopop tax. The jostaberry is a cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry, developed at the Max Planck Institute in the 1960s. In 2010, ahead of a national fire brigade competition in Bruchköbel-Roßdorf, the German Fire Brigade Association threatened to remove the location because a party package including ten small Ficken bottles was offered online; 22 packages were sold before the offer was deactivated. In 2011, after initial rejection by the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) on grounds of offending good morals, the Federal Patent Court ruled in favor of the company on August 3 and September 28, 2011, allowing the word and figurative marks to be registered. The court cited the progressive liberalization of morals, the word's entry in the Duden dictionary, its occurrence as a surname 67 times in the phone book, and references to films like "Fickende Fische" and "Baise-moi" and the play "Mesalliance, aber wir ficken uns prächtig." The trademarks cover clothing, mineral water, fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages, and the company sells numerous merchandising articles. In 2012, a district office in Treptow-Köpenick, Berlin, banned poster advertising with the slogan "Ficken ist schön." The brand continues to be sold, with variations including alcohol-free Ficken and Glühficken (mulled Ficken), and maintains an active website with event and gastronomy support.

• 2012

  Poster advertising with slogan "Ficken ist schön" banned in Berlin-Treptow-Köpenick.

• 2011

  Federal Patent Court overturns DPMA rejection; trademarks registered.

• 2010

  German Fire Brigade Association threatens to relocate competition over Ficken party package.

• 2008

  German Advertising Council reprimands manufacturer for youth-endangering advertising.

• 2007

  Ficken liqueur introduced by four friends in Biberach.

Provocative party schnapps with humorous, double-entendre marketing; targeted at young adults and party culture.

• Ficken Likör

  Original party schnapps with 15% ABV, made from water, neutral alcohol, invert sugar, jostaberry base, and citric acid.

• Ficken Alkoholfrei

  Alcohol-free version of the liqueur.

• Glühficken

  Mulled version for cold weather, similar to Glühwein.

1. 1FICKEN Likör - der Partyschnaps fürs Volkpartyschnaps.com
2. 2FICKEN Partyschnaps Geschichte - Die wahre Entstehungpartyschnaps.com
3. 3Ficken (Likör) - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4Ficken - Wikidatawikidata.org