Maybe they hashed things out over a pint.
In a statement released on its Facebook page this morning, Magic Hat Brewing Company announced that it has reached a settlement with Kentucky-based craft brewery West Sixth Brewing. You may recall that Magic Hat filed an injunction claiming trademark infringement against West Sixth and its “6” logo, which Magic Hat claimed looked a little too close to the label for the South Burlington brewery’s #9 beer. This led to a very public round of sniping between the brands online (see here, here, here and here) and even a little bit of Wikipedia vandalism.
We’ll update on the Bite Club blog accordingly when we know more information. In the mean time, read the full statement after the jump.
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Magic Hat did your legal team talk to your PR team? You sort of look dumb arguing with a Kentucky brewery that a 6 looks like your 9. If they were proposing selling the beer in Vermont I could see an issue. Hey could you change your signature beer to Circus Boy or Single Chair?
@damonbclark:disqus – Magic Hat isn’t just sold in VT and there were some significant similarities in the designs. It was beer drinkers who brought the issue into the open by commenting on social media about how similar they looked. From the USPTO.gov site – “A trademark or service mark includes any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used or intended to be used to identify and distinguish the goods/services of one seller or provider from those of others, and to indicate the source of the goods/services.” If the average layman thought they looked similar, you can bet trademark lawyers did.
Interesting coincidence that Magic Hat founder Alan Newman appears in an ad for Northfield Savings Bank on this very page.