[hopfenundmalz]

This bumper sticker is the rub.

https://bellsbeer.com/store/products/%22Bottling-Innovation%22-Bumper-Sticker.html

[majorvices]

This bumper sticker is the rub.

https://bellsbeer.com/store/products/%22Bottling-Innovation%22-Bumper-Sticker.html

Yep, it rubs a lot of people the wrong way. This is a stupid lawsuit. Shame on Bells.

[hopfenundmalz]

This bumper sticker is the rub.

https://bellsbeer.com/store/products/%22Bottling-Innovation%22-Bumper-Sticker.html

Yep, it rubs a lot of people the wrong way. This is a stupid lawsuit. Shame on Bells.

Or at least the Lawyers they have retained, and listened to.

[MDixon]

I have no idea how big of a market NC is for Bell's, but I suspect their next shipment not already in the works will be small and the next one even smaller. There will be a segment of the population who will still purchase their beers without knowing about this incident, but this has not and will not help them sell beer into NC. Had I not handed in my Southern Brew News article this afternoon before I saw the article I would have used it as the lead story. That rag sits in the racks at the entrance of every brewery in the South.

[Stevie]

This bumper sticker is the rub.

https://bellsbeer.com/store/products/%22Bottling-Innovation%22-Bumper-Sticker.html

What a crappy looking sticker. I've never understood their artwork. A drunk monkey can finger paint better looking art.

[theDarkSide]

Bell's founder Larry Bell would not discuss the issue. "This is a federal case and we will let it play out in federal court," he said. "We are not going to play it out in social media or a newspaper."

Of course he won't because he would be crucified! 

From Club Night in Grand Rapids:

[69franx]

That's a great pic

[Pinski]

One lesson to be learned from this: support your LOCAL brewery!

Well said, Keith.

[reverseapachemaster]

This is the future for every other state that saw its local craft industry grow faster than larger craft brewers could invade the market. The large craft brewers have a business interest in carving out space for their brand and battles over intellectual property rights is how that is done. The larger brewers will want to win these suits but even where they lose there are litigation costs on both sides to be absorbed. The larger brewers are heavy hitters in one of the fastest growing industries in the country who can afford to pay for litigation. Smaller brewers may not be willing to or able to absorb the costs of litigation in federal court which moves quickly (relatively quickly) in an area of law that requires a special kind of expertise that comes at a premium.

The best thing all smaller craft breweries can do is spend a little money now to properly protect their intellectual property rather than take the risk that they may not have to spend the money defending against intellectual property suits in the future.

[HoosierBrew]

One lesson to be learned from this: support your LOCAL brewery!

Well said, Keith.

Yep

[hopfenundmalz]

This is the future for every other state that saw its local craft industry grow faster than larger craft brewers could invade the market. The large craft brewers have a business interest in carving out space for their brand and battles over intellectual property rights is how that is done. The larger brewers will want to win these suits but even where they lose there are litigation costs on both sides to be absorbed. The larger brewers are heavy hitters in one of the fastest growing industries in the country who can afford to pay for litigation. Smaller brewers may not be willing to or able to absorb the costs of litigation in federal court which moves quickly (relatively quickly) in an area of law that requires a special kind of expertise that comes at a premium.

The best thing all smaller craft breweries can do is spend a little money now to properly protect their intellectual property rather than take the risk that they may not have to spend the money defending against intellectual property suits in the future.

Well said. The small breweries also need to do the searches to make sure their new IP will not be in conflict.
How you find some obscure IP is beyond me - i.e. the bumper sticker.

Bell's learned about IP the hard way years back when they had to change Solsun to Oberon. The conflict was brought up by the Mexican brewery that has the Sol brand of beer. Bell's kept the artwork and a brewery employee said the name change was easy as there were 6 letters in each name.

The back label of Two Hearted used to say some thing like "for Hemingwayesque trips to the UP". Some said that there was letter from the estate asking for a change, and that is no longer on the bottles.

I don't think they forgot those lessons.

EDIT

If Innovation gets their trademark, will they have problems with this place? Will they be bullies?
http://www.ibrewworks.com/

[Jimmy K]

Truth is if Bells did not challenge it and Innovation got their trademark. InBev could start selling Innovation IPA down the road and point to the three breweries using the word as evidence that it isn't a unique trademark. That would be an even worse situation.

[MDixon]

Perhaps Bell's move was to make sure the IB trademark did not come back to bite them later. Either way it was a dick move, they could have made a phone call and signed an agreement. Simple.

[Joe Sr.]

How do you know they didn't make a phone call and get told to go F themselves?

I just can't get worked up about this stuff.  Plus, Bell's is practically my local brewery and was one of the very few in the area when I was young.

[MDixon]

At this point, I don't know, it is pure conjecture. The indisputable facts are:
A: Bell's filled a lawsuit
B: That is a dick move
C: I stopped buying their products as a result and so did thousands of others