The SCOTUS Granholm decision of 2005 is far-reaching with respect to subsequent issues entailing the three-tier distribution system. Many states allowed wineries to self-distribute their wines directly to retailers and bypass the wholesaler intermediary. This was the issue in Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Hoen, a case decided by the United…
Trademark Infringement Suit Filed in California Court Between “Mommyjuice” and “Mommy’s Time Out”
On Monday, a lawsuit was filed in a federal court in California claiming that the “Mommyjuice” of California-based winery Clos Lachance Wines violates the trademark of “Mommy’s Time Out,” a wine marketed by a New Jersey wine distributor. (See Wine for “Mommy” Sets off Trademark Fight.) Both “Mommyjuice” and “Mommy’s Time Out”…
New Information on Wine in America: Law and Policy
This weekend I received an e-mail from Richard Mendelson of Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty in reference to his upcoming publication, Wine in America: Law and Policy. For those On Reserve readers who are as excited about wine law publications as I am myself, I thought it may be of interest…
Fifth Annual Wine Law Seminar in Seattle, Washington to Focus on Financial and Legal Regulation
Seattle, Washington is the location for the Fifth Annual Comprehensive Seminar on Wine Law in Washington: The Ins-and-Outs of Operating Wineries in the Current Regulatory, Legal, and Financial Environments on May 2, 2011. The conference, which will be held at the Seattle Hilton Hotel, will focus on the current legal…
UC Davis to Host Upcoming Wine Law Seminar on Appellations and Wine Trade Names
Yesterday, the University of California Davis announced its upcoming wine law seminar from June 2, 2011 to June 4, 2011 will focus on wine appellations and wine trade names. (See Wine Law Seminar at UC Davis to Focus on Appellations.) “The seminar, coordinated by the UC Davis School of Law,…
Indiana Legislators Assist the State’s Growing Wine Industry with New Bill
Legislators of the state of Indiana, which recorded a whole nine wineries in 1989, are presently looking for legislative solutions to accommodate its growing wine industry. The state, which presently boasts over fifty vineyards and wineries, is embracing this growth, which is said to bring 800,000 visitors to its wineries…
Three-Tier Distribution, Direct Shipment, and Wine Politics in the New York Times
On Sunday, The New York Times published an excellent op-ed article tracing the history of the regulation of wine in the states and discussing the major contemporary problem relating to three-tier distribution in America. The article, which is brilliantly written by David White of Terroirist blog, is accessible at Wholesale…
Direct Shipment of Wine Could Soon be Allowed in Maryland
Note: There were several corrections made to this entry post-publication. The author would like to specifically point out that direct shipment is not yet allowed in Maryland, but it appears that direct shipment will soon be available in Maryland in the upcoming months. We apologize for any confusion the original…
In Vino Veritas Seminar on Wine Law
Recently, In Vino Veritas, the food and wine society at Harvard Law School, invited Dr. Theo Georgopoulos, director of the Wine and Law Program, to host a seminar on wine law. Dr. Georgopoulos spoke about the professional aspects of studying wine law from an international perspective, as well as discussed the…
Additional Books on Wine Law
I recently discovered additional reading material relating to wine and law that has more of a political forefront. I am yet to read either of the books in this entry, but from their summaries online, they look like attractive reads for anyone interested in wine law (and they are on…