The On Reserve archive
On March 3rd, TTB published two final rules in the Federal Register the first which modified portions of currently established AVAs and the second which establishes a new AVA. The first rule alters an…
On May 18, 2016, I will be presenting a CLE for Lawline on wine law. It will be a live broadcast and the course will provide an introduction to the history of wine regulation in the…
In a recent opinion issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, Applicants sought to register DRINK IT NAKED (in standard characters) on the Principal Register for Tequila in International Class 33. In re Castaneda and…
On February 11, 2016, TTB issued Ruling 2016-1 titled “The Shelf Plan and Shelf Schematic Exception to the ‘Tied House’ Prohibition, and Activities Outside Such Exception.” The ruling concerns promotional activities commonly associated with category management…
In February, Thomson Reuters released the latest version of its Inside the Minds series. The latest issue in the series is titled Wine and Beer Law and surveys insight from several U.S. attorneys in the alcohol…
Very much in line with one of On Reserve’s recent posts, The Importance of Grape Varieties on American Wine Labels, TTB announced last week that it administratively approved a new grape variety for use on American…
On Wednesday, February 24th, TTB issued a final rule in the Federal Register establishing a new American Viticultural Area (AVA) called Lamorinda Viticultural Area. The new AVA contains 29,369 acres in Contra Costa County, California and is…
Last week, San Antonio Express News reported that a California-based winery named San Antonio Winery brought a trademark suit against a San Antonio-based winery called Lara Vineyard. In its complaint, San Antonio Winery alleged that Lara…
On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (“the PATH Act”) into law. The PATH Act contains changes to certain statutory provisions which are administered by TTB, including…
On January 21, 2016, TTB published a notice in the Federal Register proposing the establishment of the Willcox Viticultural Area, which is located in portions of Graham and Cochise Counties in Arizona (but is not currently…
