Tag: beer
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TTAB Says No Likelihood of Confusion Between “Cannibal” Beer and “Cannibal” Restaurant
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has reversed a refusal to register “The Cannibal” as a mark for beer to Iron Hill Brewery, finding little likelihood of confusion between the beer and a restaurant called “The Cannibal Beer & Butcher.” In re Iron Hill Brewery, No. 86682532 (TTAB,…
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Scottish Brewery Loses Bid to Keep “Elvis Juice” Beer Name
Scottish brewery BrewDog lost its battle to call one of its craft beers “Elvis Juice” when the U.K. Intellectual Property Office ruled that Elvis Presley’s estate still owns a trademark for “Elvis” beer. BrewDog released the grapefruit IPA in 2015, and the U.K. trademark owner, Authentic Brands Group, filed an infringement notice. The administrative body…
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Beer Distributor To Pay $2-Million Fine For Trade Practice Violations
The attorney general of New Jersey has announced an “unprecedented” $2-million fine in a settlement with a craft beer and spirit wholesaler accused of trade practice violations. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control v. Hunterdon Brewing Co. LLC, No. L0002 (N.J. Dep’t of Law Public Safety, consent order filed May 31, 2017). New Jersey alleged that…
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Asahi Facing False-Source Putative Class Action
A consumer has filed a projected class action alleging Asahi Beer U.S.A., Inc. misleads customers into believing that Asahi Super Dry beer is made in Japan despite being produced in Canada. Panvini v. Asahi Beer U.S.A., Inc., No. 17-1896 (N.D. Cal., filed April 5, 2017). The plaintiff claims that although most of the Asahi Dry…
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Proposed Ban on Totalitarian Symbols in Hungary May Criminalize Heineken’s Logo
The Hungarian National Assembly is reportedly considering a proposed ban on Soviet and Nazi symbols that would impose fines of up to $6.97 million and a potential prison sentence on businesses using such marks, likely including Heineken and its red star logo. The ban targets symbols related to Hungary’s years of Nazi occupation and decades…
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Golden Ticket Chocolate Beer Unwraps Trademark Opposition From Willy Wonka Filmmaker
Warner Brothers, the film studio that owns the rights to the Willy Wonka movies, has asked the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to stop a Georgia craft brewer’s use of “Golden Ticket” as the name for a chocolate stout beer, claiming that the name could lead some to…
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Brazilian Beverage Co. to Pay Professional Beer Taster for Job-Related Alcoholism
A Brazilian appeals court has reportedly affirmed a lower court’s order to AmBev S/A to pay a former employee about $14,800 for moral damages related to his job as a beer taster, which he alleged led to his alcoholism. AmBev argued that it was not liable because the employee’s beer-tasting activities were voluntary. The court…
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Snoop Dogg, Pabst Settle Endorsement Dispute
Rapper Snoop Dogg and Pabst Brewing Co. have reportedly reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit disputing a Colt 45® endorsement deal that the rapper argued entitled him to a portion of the proceeds when the brand was sold to Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings in 2014. Snoop Dogg’s claims survived Pabst’s motion to dismiss in…