I'll admit I don't follow the industry nearly as closely as I'd like. I was intrigued when a guy sued Walmart over their "Trouble Brewing". My guess is it took anyone reading this about 2 seconds to realize that the Trouble Brewing Co of Rochester NY was in fact Genesee/NAB. Now I see a couple people are suing CBA over Kona not being brewed in Hawaii. Again, would any reasonable person think that the 1/6 keg of Longboard I bought here in Orlando for 70 bucks was shipped in from Hawaii? Then there is the ongoing dispute between Pabst and Miller over their expiring contract. Toss in some disputes over product names and even employment issues just for good measure. Is this the future? I am curious how these lawsuits all come out though, especially the Trouble one since it's going on two years now and I haven't heard a thing. Has anyone seen anything recently?
I think you haven't seen or heard anything because there's nothing to see or hear because there was nothing there in the first place. They didn't use the little upside down bottle label of honor and the word "craft" means anything and nothing.
I would think so, yes. Do reasonable people post on BeerAdvocate (myself included)? The jury is still out.
From earlier this year? Sometimes these sorts of things take awhile. For example, another "Budweiser" dispute:
Lawsuits are unfortunately a part of doing business. It was in the past and will be in the future. During the 80’s I was district sales manager for Coca Cola and learned that owning a trademark requires you to protect said trademark. That includes lawsuits against small inconsequential companies that may push the limits of your trademark. Trademarks are a very valuable piece of property and need to be protected from thieves not unlike a factory or warehouse. Corporate litigation is a huge business even with contracts in force. What we see as frivolous may have huge ramifications within the company. You would think a contract would make litigation unnecessary but as with Miller/Coors vs Pabst, things can really change. Most lawsuits move at a snail’s pace so don’t hold your breath for any breaking news.
