It’s been a year since Stone Brewing first brought a lawsuit against Big Beer for trademark infringement. Yesterday, we heard the first major update on the matter from the court.
“the Court agrees [with Stone], especially considering the marks incontestability, STONE® is entitled to the strong protection afforded to suggestive marks. Since Stone and Miller both produce a beer which is distributed nationally, a consumer is likely to encounter both within close proximity of the other, making it is reasonable to consider Miller a direct competitor of Stone … Taking all the factors into account, the Court finds that Stone’s trademark infringement claim against Miller is moderately strong.”