Red Bull sees red over Norfolk micro-brewery
Red Bull had resolved a dispute with a Norfolk micro brewer over its name from Redwell having previously threatened legal action.
In seeking to protect its brand identity the energy drink is adopting strong arm tactics, however according to BBC Norfolk, Red Bull has said that there was no longer any dispute as long as the brewer did not use its name on energy drinks.
Brewery owner Patrick Fisher said he was ‘shocked’ by the demand, which asserted that the Redwell name would lead to ‘confusion’ in the beverage marketplace and ‘tarnish’ the Redbull brand.
The Redwell name was taken directly from Redwell Street in Norwich city centre but only came to wider attention when they tried to trademark the brand.
Fisher said: “Our name is different, our branding is different. We don't make energy drinks and we're not planning to move into Formula One or send a man skydiving from space very soon."
Defending their aggressive stance Red Bull’s brand enforcement manager Hansjorg Jeserznik said that the brewer’s mark was ‘highly similar’ to their own RED trademark and operated in the same marketplace.