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Breweries Intellectual Property Protection

Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig PLLC

How to Protect a Trademark or Service Mark for a Brewery or Beer Name

With excellent craft beers, breweries have become highly popular in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and throughout the United States and are most often visited during spring, summer, and fall. The brewers regularly...more

Foster Garvey PC

Stone Brewing Co. LLC v. Molson Coors Brewing Company – Ruling in Trademark Infringement Brewery Battle Serves Up Important...

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On March 25, 2022, after a contentious, four year-long court battle, a jury awarded Stone Brewing Co. $56 million in damages against beer conglomerate MillerCoors, now Molson Coors, finding that MillerCoors infringed the...more

Proskauer - Minding Your Business

Trademark Disputes Continue to Brew

Stone Brewing has used STONE as a trademark since the early 1990s, and has since become the largest brewery in Southern California and ninth largest craft brewery in the U.S.  Fast forward to 2017, when MillerCoors rebranded...more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

The Fun and Whimsical (but Crowded) Landscape of Beer Names Part 2

Ward and Smith, P.A. on

What's in a name?  Beer names can be funny, creative, and whimsical.  But with the growing popularity of craft brewing, it's becoming increasingly difficult to come up with a name that isn't already taken. In Part 1 of...more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

The Fun and Whimsical (but Crowded) Landscape of Beer Names Part 1

Ward and Smith, P.A. on

In addition to all its natural beauty and opportunities for outdoor recreation, Western North Carolina has more lately become known for its abundance of excellent craft breweries. ...more

Knobbe Martens

The Battle of Brooklyn: Lack of Concrete Injury and Prior Collaboration Doom TTAB Actions

Knobbe Martens on

BROOKLYN BREWERY CORPORATION V. BROOKLYN BREW SHOP, LLC - Before Judges Dyk, O’Malley, and Hughes. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: A challenger must demonstrate an injury in fact to have...more

Harris Beach PLLC

Planning to Sell Your Brewery? 5 Strategies to Make Your Business More Attractive, Even During a Pandemic

Harris Beach PLLC on

The strong pace of craft brewery acquisitions seen in recent years will likely reverse course in 2020 due to the economic challenges and uncertainty caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But despite the impact of...more

Weintraub Tobin

TRUE STONE v. KEYSTONE: Stone Brewing’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction is Denied, but the Court’s Ruling Indicates a Finding of...

Weintraub Tobin on

On February 12, 2018, Stone Brewing, arguably the most well-known craft brewer, filed a complaint against MillerCoors LLC, the multinational beer conglomerate, for trademark infringement. Specifically, Stone Brewing alleges...more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

Hey, Careful, Man, There’s a Beverage Here! TTB, CBD, and the Production of Beer

Ward and Smith, P.A. on

So you brew beer? Cool. So you want to brew a beer with cannabidiol? Even cooler. Don’t know what cannabidiol is? That's ok. You probably know it as "CBD" – the highly popular cannabinoid that was recently legalized by...more

Harris Beach PLLC

Can I Use Song Lyrics in a Beer Name?

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Beer and music go together – always have and always will. Lots of brewers draw inspiration from song and many have used lyrics or even titles to name beers or even their breweries. For example, the superlative Singlecut...more

Harris Beach PLLC

The Importance of Trademark Registration for Breweries

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So you’ve got a brewery or you’re planning to start a brewery, what are the typical issues you worry about? Financing, federal and state licensing, recipe formulation, hop contracts, distribution, employees, mash pH, and a...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Distilling the Relatedness of Spirits, Wines and Beer – The Lack of a Bright-Line Rule - Food, Beverage & Hospitality Alert

The alcohol industry has seen a veritable explosion in trademark filings from craft and independent brewers, distillers and wineries. This upsurge means trademarks are coming into conflict more and more often in the...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Craft Brewer Failed Attempt to Use Trade Secret Laws to Close the Door on Glassdoor Reviews

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The public's increasing reliance on anonymous product and company reviews posted online often gives rise to complaints by the subjects of those reviews, especially when the reviews are negative or critical, and threaten to...more

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

Food & Beverage Litigation Update l November 2018 #4

LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - USDA, FDA Announce Joint Regulation of Cell-Cultured Livestock and Poultry Products - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have...more

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

Food & Beverage Litigation Update | August 2018 #4

LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - Mass. Governor Vetoes Raw Milk Bill - Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has vetoed a state environmental bond bill containing a provision that would allow raw milk sales at farm...more

Verrill

Take That Down: Recent Lawsuit on Negative Reviews

Verrill on

“Beer: The cause and solution to all of life’s problems.” Mr. Homer J. Simpson would love the recent case of a Massachusetts craft beer company that has been trying in federal court to get the employment website Glassdoor...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Six Things You Didn’t Know About Trademarks

Bowditch & Dewey on

Brewers can protect the uniqueness of their brands of brew and brewery names by filing for federal registration of their trademarks. Here are a few things about the process that are good to know...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Legal Basics: Starting a Brewery 101

Bowditch & Dewey on

Breweries are sprouting up all over, just like we hope spring is! If you are contemplating joining the craze, here are a few tips to keep in mind...more

Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers,...

What’s In a Name: The Bell’s v. Innovation Trademark Naming Dispute

Selecting a unique, memorable, and descriptive name for your next beer release is becoming a daunting task in the increasingly-crowded craft brewing landscape. ...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Going “Medieval” on Trademark Enforcement

Bowditch & Dewey on

Who says trademark disputes can’t be fun? Well, plenty of people, but that’s beside the point. Anheuser Busch InBev recently showed that a serious legal message can be delivered in a humorous form....more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

It's Official: Brewers Will Pay Less Tax in 2018. Now What?

Ward and Smith, P.A. on

On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduces the federal excise tax on brewers for years 2018, 2019, and 2020. A detailed description of how the new law reduces brewers' excise...more

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

Food & Beverage Litigation Update | November 2017

NOSB Votes to Continue Allowing Hydroponics - The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has reportedly voted to continue allowing food grown in water-based nutrient solutions to be labeled “organic,” rejecting a...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Getting Your Ducks in a Row

Bowditch & Dewey on

This past August, Sapporo bought Anchor Brewing. Anheuser-Busch InBev has bought Wicked Weed, Four Peaks, and many more breweries. If and when your turn comes, will you be ready? Here are a few things craft breweries can do...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Prepare For Success In The Beverage Industry By Registering Your Marks

Amundsen Davis LLC on

In light of continued growth in the wine and brewing industries, a business owner working hard to succeed is wise to protect what may become its most valuable assets – the company name and brand. Much thought, time, and money...more

Tucker Arensberg, P.C.

The Importance of Brand Identity and Trademark Protection for Breweries and Wineries

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Too often, small startups, including brewery and winery businesses, only consider protection of their brands and other intellectual property as an afterthought. With hundreds of new wineries and craft breweries developing...more

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