Patagonia accuses AB InBev of 'taking advantage' of goodwill towards brand in beer spat
Outdoor clothing firm Patagonia is suing drinks giant AB InBev over its alleged appropriation of the name for its latest beer, claiming it could spark confusion between its beer, and the AB InBev product.
Patagonia accuses AB InBev of 'taking advantage' of goodwill towards brand in beer spat
The spat centers on the Patagonia Brewing Company brand introduced by AB InBev in Colorado the logo for which depicts the word ‘Patagonia’ overlaid upon the silhouette of a mountain range.
Taking issue with this Patagonia, the clothing range, filed a suit against the brewer stating: “In launching its Patagonia beer, AB deliberately has attempted to take advantage of the tremendous goodwill that Patagonia, Inc. and Patagonia Provisions, Inc. (together, ‘Patagonia’ or ‘Plaintiffs’) have cultivated in their brand, and the hard-earned reputation that Patagonia, Inc. has built over the last 40 years as a company dedicated to environmental conservation.
“AB has gone as far as creating a logo that is strikingly similar to Patagonia’s famous mountain silhouette logo that has appeared continuously for decades on millions of products.”
It added: "In short, AB has done everything possible to make it appear as though this ‘Patagonia’ beer is sold by Patagonia.”
Patagonia’s ire was further inflamed by a series of pop-up booths set up to push the beer to skiers, in which salespeople handed out beanies, T-shirts and scarves emblazoned with AB’s own ‘Patagonia’ label. Patagonia has its own beer brand which clashes with the beer giant's product. It launched in 2016, a beer called Long Root Ale, which is made with Kernza grain.
AB InBev has dismissed the claim as being ‘without merit’, vowing to robustly defend its trademark rights in court.
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