Club Holding joint venture would appeal a US court ruling that it has no rights in the United States to the trademark name Havana Club.

Havana Club Holding, in which Pernod is equal partner with Cuba's Havana Rum and Liquors, says it owns the trademark to Havana Club, Cuba's best selling rum.

Privately-held Bacardi & Co Ltd., which is headquartered in Bermuda, says it bought the trademark from Havana Club's original owners and has the rights to the brand.

"Havana Club Holding -- 50/50 joint venture between Pernod Ricard and a Cuban company, and owner worldwide of the brand `Havana Club' -- announces it is appealing the April 13, 1999 decision rendered by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York,'' Pernod Ricard said in a statement.

The appeal could delay Bacardi from restarting sales of the rum, halted in 1996 pending the outcome of the litigation.

The ruling, by US District Judge Shira Scheindlin, is based in part on a US law passed last year that limits registration and renewal of trademarks of property seized by the Cuban government.

Cuba has condemned the ruling as a violation of trade law and hinted the dispute may escalate, with Havana considering reprisals against US brands registered on the island.

Havana Club was confiscated by President Fidel Castro's government in 1960 from its Cuban owners, the Arechabala family. Bacardi bought the trademark from the Arechabalas and registered it in the United States in 1994.

The family receives royalties from Bacardi from sales of the rum.