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Notorious: The RBG Podcast - Episode 11: Three Cheers for Beer: A Discussion of Craig v. Boren
Lowndes Client Corner Podcast Episode 1 - DraftLine Technologies, The Business of Beer
This year, the INTA Annual Meeting lands in sunny San Diego, California—a city known not only for its breathtaking coastline, laid-back vibe, and rich cultural diversity, but also for its dynamic landscape of iconic brands...more
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
Aside from the regulatory requirements imposed on beer labels, as discussed in the Anatomy of a Beer Label: Part I post on COLAs, brewers should consider protecting the trademarks featured on their beer labels...more
In prior installments of our series on branding considerations and trademark disputes in the beverage alcohol industry, we examined best practices relating to trademark selection and searching to hopefully avoid branding...more
Avoiding Trademark Disputes in the Alcoholic Beverage Industry- In the first installment of our series on trademark disputes in the alcoholic beverage industry, we identified the risks facing industry participants on the...more
Trademark Basics – USPTO - The United States Patent & Trademark Office (“USPTO”) put together this quick resource guide....more
There are several grounds upon which an application for a federal trademark can be rejected, and I will discuss a couple of them here. One important ground is known as mere descriptiveness. One is not permitted to register a...more
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
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
By all accounts, as we head into 2017, the craft beer industry will continue to experience tremendous growth. This is due to primarily to increasing consumer demand. Also, favorable legislation in some states should help fuel...more
The craft-beer industry is running low on names. There are more than 4,600 craft breweries in the U.S. – California leading the nation with over 500, according to the Brewer’s Association....more
After a few of either, the likelihood of confusion may no doubt increase. But in a recent sober judgment, the U.S. Trademark Office ruled that REUBEN’S BREWS for beer is not likely to be confused with RUBENS for wine....more
In a ruling bound to please 15 year-old boys everywhere, the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) reversed the Examining Attorney’s refusal to register the trademark NUT SACK DOUBLE BROWN ALE (in standard character...more
With so many new microbreweries popping up in Sacramento, the Bay Area, and the Greater San Diego area, I felt compelled to write the present piece for the benefit of the aspiring, as well as the established, microbrew...more
With more than 3,000 breweries in the United States and nearly 2,000 more in some phase of planning, the likelihood of trademark infringement increases with each passing IPA related pun. Some disputes are settled in a very...more
A. Introduction - A name. It all starts with a name. A series of words, individually with little meaning, but collectively, the embodiment of creativity, passion, and inspiration. Whether the name of the craft brewery...more