BrewDog in second legal naming row

29 March 2017 by
BrewDog in second legal naming row

It has emerged that brewer and bar firm BrewDog took legal steps to stop a new bar opening in Leeds with "punk" in its name, a day after the company backed down from taking similar action against pub operators in Birmingham.

Lawyers for the brewer sent music promoter Tony Green a letter in December 2016, saying that his plans to open a bar called Draft Punk would "give rise to a likelihood of confusion in the marketplace, including a likelihood of association with our client's earlier mark Punk", according to The Guardian newspaper.

BrewDog has brewed its Punk IPA beer since 2007 and raised money under its Equity for Punks scheme.

Green said he had chosen the Draft Punk name as a twist on the French dance music act Daft Punk and that the legal threat from BrewDog was against the company's claim to not behave like large corporate companies. He has now abandoned his plan to open a bar.

Yesterday BrewDog blamed "trigger-happy" lawyers for sending a similar legal warning to brother and sister operators of the Wolf pub in Birmingham, Joshua and Sallie McFadyen, who wanted to change its name to Lone Wolf. BrewDog decided to launch a spirit with the same name after the siblings had taken the decision to change the name of their pub.

Although BrewDog withdrew plans to take legal action, the McFadyens have since decided to stick with the original name of the pub.

BrewDog retreats over pub trademark dispute >>

Brewdog on hunt for hotel site in Aberdeen >>

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