Last week, Franciscan Vineyards, Inc. of St. Helena filed an opposition to the mark THREE-EYED RAVEN, filed by Applicant Home Box Office, Inc., for alcohol beverages, energy drinks, and non-alcoholic drinks beverages and fruit drinks. Franciscan Vineyards opposes registration of THREE-EYED RAVEN on the grounds that registration is likely to…
Category: Wine Lawsuits
Blue Moon Lawsuit: [Not] All About That Label
Last week, On Reserve reported about the class action suit filed against MillerCoors in regard to the Blue Moon malt beverage. See MillerCoors Hit with Class Action Suit for Use of “Artfully Crafted” on Blue Moon Beer. The suit alleges that the company’s Blue Moon beer deceives consumers into thinking the product is “Craft” by marketing the…
MillerCoors Hit with Class Action Suit for Use of “Artfully Crafted” on Blue Moon Beer
On April 24, 2015, a class action lawsuit was filed in state court against MillerCoors LLC, alleging that the company’s Blue Moon beer deceives consumers into thinking the product is “Craft” by marketing the brand as “Artfully Crafted” and disassociating it from MillerCoors. See Parent v. MillerCoors LLC. The plaintiff alleges that MillerCoors…
Seattle Winery Forced to Change Name After Cease and Desist Letter from Jackson Family Wines
Last week, Komo News reported that a Seattle-based winery, Bartholomew Winery, was forced to change the name of one of its wine brands after receiving a cease and desist letter from Jackson Family Wines. See Seattle Winery Forced to Change Name, Label After Cease-and-Desist. The wine brand, Jaxon, is reportedly named after the son of…
Importer Pasternak Answers and Counterclaims Against Vignerons de la Méditerranée
In January, On Reserve reported that Vignerons de la Méditerranée (“VM”) filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of the State of New York County of Westchester against Harrison-based importer Pasternak Wine Imports. See Vignerons de la Méditerranée sues Westchester County Importer Pasternak. The complaint named Domaines Barons de Rothschild (“DBR”) as a co-defendant…
Post-Pom Wonderful and the Not So Wonderful Impact on Alcohol Beverages
In June of last year, the Supreme Court decided a rather revolutionary case for the food industry: Pom Wonderful LLC v. The Coca-Cola Company. The case, which was commenced by Pom Wonderful, questioned the label of a competitor’s product, Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid Blueberry Pomegranate juice. The Minute Maid label contained the words…
Hillside Select: Napa Vintner Sues Angwin Winery Over Name
Napa Valley vintner Shafer Vineyards recently filed suit against Angwin, California winery owner, Mike Beatty (doing business as Howell Mountains Vineyards) for use of the term Hillside Select on its wine. Shafer Vineyards—who according to the USPTO database registered the mark Hillside Select in January 1990—alleges Mr. Beatty used the Napa Valley vintner’s registered…
Vignerons de la Méditerranée sues Westchester County Importer Pasternak
On January 5, 2015, plaintiff Vignerons de la Méditerranée (“VM”) filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of the State of New York County of Westchester against Harrison-based importer Pasternak Wine Imports (defendant). The complaint names Domaines Barons de Rothschild (“DBR”) as a co-defendant to the complaint. Pasternak was the…
Jamieson Ranch and Pernod Ricard Reach Settlement in Trademark Lawsuit
Earlier this year, On Reserve reported about the declaratory judgment suit launched against against Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers Limited, owner of the renowned Jameson Irish Whiskey, by Napa Valley-based vineyard Madison Vineyard Holdings, LLC, the owner of Jamieson Ranch. See Jamieson Vineyards Takes On Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers. The complaint was filed in response to a cease and desist…
New York Winery Defeats NYSLA’s Bid to have Liquor License Revoked
Justice Doris Ling-Cohan, a Manhattan judge, reversed the New York State Liquor Authority’s (“NYSLA”) decision to revoke the license of a Long Island farm winery. The judge dismissed three charges brought on behalf of the NYSLA against Vineyard 48, a Southold, Long Island-based farm winery. Justice Ling-Cohan noted that the…