Recently, an application before the United States Patent and Trademark Office sought to register the mark Home Brewing Co. in standard characters on the Principal Register for “Beer; Beer, ale and lager; Beer, ale and porter; Beer, ale, lager, stout and porter; Beer, ale, lager, stout, porter, shandy; Beers; Black beer; Brewed malt-based…
Lessons from Marketing a Wine and Beverage Law Practice
I was recently interviewed by Bentley Tolk for his podcast Legal Marketing Launch, which helps attorneys focus on marketing their legal practice. In the episode, I talk a lot about my blog and the development of the blog over the last several years, as well as practicing in a niche area…
Wine, Beer, and Spirits Law Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado this September
CLE International will host its annual wine, beer, and spirits law conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado this September 22nd and 23rd. This year is the program’s 21st anniversary of the wine, beer, and spirits conference and, from its lineup, it promises to have some interesting topics in beverage law. Topics include the following:…
USPTO Finds a Likelihood of Confusion for Duo for Beer and Duo for Wine
Uinta Brewing Company (Applicant) filed an application before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to register on the Principal Register the mark DUO in standard characters for beer. The Trademark Examining Attorney refused registration under § 2(d) of the Trademark Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1052(d), for the reason that Applicant’s mark (as…
Starting a New Winery? Ten Questions You Should Ask
Starting any new business can be overwhelming, and taking the leap to start a winery is certainly no exception. The details can be intimidating and a newcomer can often lose sight of the larger picture. This article aims to review ten of the very basic legal or compliance steps all…
SPONSORED: A Taste of Rhode Island Wine
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Rhode Island Tourism, which organized and provided transportation to the below Rhode Island wineries. I was not otherwise compensated for this article. The below remains my opinion of Rhode Island wines from my experience at the properties. Rhode Island wine. I consider myself fairly…
TTB Proposes Revisions to Wine Label Regulations and Recordkeeping
On Wednesday, June 22, 2016, TTB published a notice in the Federal Register proposing important changes to wine labeling regulations and recordkeeping requirements. Comments to the proposed changes will be accepted through August 22, 2016 and can be submitted through the Federal Register website). The notice proposes to amend TTB’s labeling and…
Empire Wine Bill Passes in New York Senate
The “Empire Wine Bill” (version 2.0) passed in the New York State Senate on Friday, June 17th per the New York State Assembly website. The matching Assembly bill, A10248, passed earlier on June 15th. The summary of the Senate bill is as follows: Relates to clarifying the basis upon which the state liquor authority has…
Empire Wine Bill Passes in Assembly
The “Empire Wine Bill” (version 2.0) passed in the New York State Assembly on Wednesday, June 15th per the New York State Assembly website. The matching Senate bill, S07728, has not yet passed and shows no action on the bill’s page other than an entry for May 12, 2016. The summary…
New Presentation on Wine Law
A few weeks ago, I filmed a presentation called “Introduction to Wine Law” for Lawline. The course is now available on demand through the Lawline website and runs approximately 90 minutes. A summary of the course is listed below: The alcohol beverage industry is one of the most regulated consumer product industries…