Trade Marking Gone Mad!

[Mercs Own]

It's happened and it's absolutely rediculous!

http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/84300

 

[bconnery]

There's also a few posts about it from Matt Kirkegaard, formerly of Beer and Brewer and contributer to columns here and there...

http://beermatt.com/2009/07/30/trademark-or-beer-style/ ...
Ian Watson posted a rant on a few other sites as well.

Really out of order from DB...

 

[chappo1970]

Since when does anything in this FU world make sense anymore? Looks like I'll have to put my plans on hold for my Radler and Saison now.

 

[zebba]

I hear CUB are trying to trademark "Victoria"

 

[Supra-Jim]

It is indeed a very sorry state of affairs. Shame on DB/Monteiths.

BTW Chappo, I have now trademarked "Sherman" "Sherminator" and "That fancy brew rig i keep polishing/modifying but never brew on" so i will have ask you to cease and desist using these terms or my lawyers will be in touch

Cheers SJ

 

[Polar Beer]

This is very very poor corperate form

I go to NZ almost every year. From now on I'm boycotting all DB brews :angry:

(not that I drank too many anyway. Such good micro's over there).

 

[crundle]

I always did hate IP law at uni. What started out as a system to help society get a 'leg up' by encouraging innovation and rewarding it with a head start for a length of time to recoup costs and make a tidy profit has now gone mad.

The example that kills me is Micro$oft Windows 98. In 2098 it will become freely available to the world so that others may build on its magnificence and make improvements to it, but not a day before then!

IP should never have been applied to corporations, who are able to stymie innovation by tactics such as patent farming and as with Disney, bringing out a crappy movie every 10 years or so based on one of their hit characters so they can continue to be protected by the original copyright which otherwise would expire at some point. At least humans die and the copyright will eventually cease, but big corporations don't die, so their copyrights can go on perpetually in theory.

End of rant.

Crundle

 

[Leigh]

I hear CUB are trying to trademark "Victoria"

I think that's a fair bit different. That is about stopping say the Brits making a Victoria Beer (what Vic Bitter is called in the UK) clone...just like King Island Cheese have trademarked the name King Island etc

I think the Europeans will challenge this NZ trademark registration under the international agreement on using "local" names...I wouldn't be surprised if the Krauts end up restricting the use of these names to beers of these styles made in Germany and Austria...this is exactyly how the similar battle started in the wine industry that has led to France challenging the use of the word Chardonnay etc

 

[Pennywise]

What a crock, so much for the famous "sharing" us brewers are well known for, guess that excludes the big boys hey.

 

[zebba]

I think that's a fair bit different. That is about stopping say the Brits making a Victoria Beer (what Vic Bitter is called in the UK) clone

My post was a joke. Are CUB actually trademarking "Victoria"?? :huh:

 

[DiscoStu]

Absolute idiocy, you should not be able to trademark the name of a recognized beer style any more than you should be able to trademark Ale or Lager of for that matter Beer

What shameful corp conduct from DB/Monteiths, let's just hope we don't see the same thing happening here.

 

[peas_and_corn]

It'll happen until it's challenged in the international courts that decide these things, and then we'll begin having these things properly codified ie what ones are styles that can be used by everyone, what are styles that must come from a region, and what words can be trademarked in individual markets (the Budweiser/Budvar thing is an early example of this). Merely hoping that companies won't trademark terms when there's nothing to stop them is being naive.

 

[winkle]

Blanket ban on Monteiths @ my place at least - bit of a pity since I quite liked the black. They're probably working on a TM for lager right now.

 

[Murcluf]

It's happened and it's absolutely rediculous!

http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/84300

Just read the article and for what for...? even though they may have Trade Marked it I don't think they could really make it stand if anyone was big enough to take then on this issue. Trade marking your original idea/product ie Nike Coke Pepsi etc is one thing, Trade marking a style is another. Like trade marking the air around us and saying thats mine and you can't use it.

Where do these Multi-national Megaswill Mass Producers ever get off :angry:

 

[Murcluf]

Blanket ban on Monteiths @ my place at least - bit of a pity since I quite liked the black. They're probably working on a TM for lager right now.

I really used to enjoy drinking Monteiths until 5 minutes ago now it just leave a bad taste in my mouth like the sweaty crutch of an Austrian cyclist..!!!

 

[crozdog]

"That fancy brew rig i keep polishing/modifying but never brew on"

i thought Franko already held the rights to that one

 

[Pennywise]

now it just leave a bad taste in my mouth like the sweaty crutch of an Austrian cyclist..!!!

:blink:

 

[Pennywise]

I know I wont be buying it anymore, shame, I like a few of their beers

 

[devo]

insane!!!! I'll be staying away from Monteiths although admittedly I never really drank it in the first place.

 

[Franko]

i thought Franko already held the rights to that one

Spot on there my Friend I'd like to see someone try to take it off me :lol: