UPS’s 2019 complaint against a cannabis delivery business illustrates trademark risks when branding borrows a familiar company name and presentation.
This post explains how the TTAB denied concurrent wine trademark registrations where the applicant relied on undocumented sampling programs and pre-COLA use. It warns brewers, distillers, and wineries that failing to secure required COLAs before introducing products in commerce can fatally undermine trademark priority and open the door to challenges.
A pub’s Rogue trademark dispute illustrates how pre-policy social-media announcements and business branding can affect insurance coverage.
A Bogle–Next Wine dispute examines prior trademark-office arguments and whether patent prosecution-history estoppel applies to trademark claims.
A bourbon-brand dispute examines use of a historic distillery name to describe a location and the Lanham Act’s descriptive fair-use defense.
A wine trademark dispute illustrates how the doctrine of foreign equivalents can connect foreign-language marks with their English translations.
Sazerac’s 2017 complaint challenges proposed competing packaging, illustrating the role of trade dress in protecting beverage presentation.
The Black Ops dispute examines beverage-name recognition and likelihood of confusion in Brooklyn Brewery’s request for a trademark injunction.
A 2014 craft-beer complaint challenges competing Sawtooth and Black Jack names, raising questions about beverage trademark priority and confusion.
Anchor’s 2014 lawsuit seeks to enforce Steam trademark rights against City Steam Brewery after proceedings before the trademark board.
A wine-mark dispute examines how label approval and lawful sales affect the first use in commerce asserted to support trademark rights.
The Door County–Illinois River winery dispute examines priority in an unregistered Hallowine mark and the potential recovery of competing profits.
