Vampire Family Brands, LLC, a Ventura County winemaker, recognized for wine brands like Dracula, Vampire, and Fangria, is taking legal action against an Australian vintner for what it believes to be an infringement of its trademark, among other things. According to a complaint filed on August 29, 2023 in U.S….
Tag: lawsuits
Which Came First: The Trademark or the Viticultural Area?
Last week, San Antonio Express News reported that a California-based winery named San Antonio Winery brought a trademark suit against a San Antonio-based winery called Lara Vineyard. In its complaint, San Antonio Winery alleged that Lara Vineyard’s use of the term “San Antonio” as a fanciful name on its labels infringed upon…
Court Denies Union Wine Company’s Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Brought by FN Cellars
Last week, California District Court Judge Donato denied Union Wine Company’s motion to dismiss a suit launched against the wine company by FN Cellars, LLC. FN Cellars originally brought suit against Union Wine seeking (1) declaratory judgment of validity for FN Cellars’ trademark; (2) a declaration that its mark does not…
Willamette Valley Vineyards Sues Neighboring Farm Over Herbicide Drift
Willamette Valley Vineyards is suing Five Cent Farm, Inc., a neighboring farm. According to Statesman Journal, the lawsuit filed against Five Cent indicates that the Vineyard is claiming more than $400,000 in economic loss from damage to the Vineyard’s pinot noir grapes. The complaint states that Willamette Valley Vineyards has a…
Blue Moon Lawsuit: [Not] All About That Label
Last week, On Reserve reported about the class action suit filed against MillerCoors in regard to the Blue Moon malt beverage. See MillerCoors Hit with Class Action Suit for Use of “Artfully Crafted” on Blue Moon Beer. The suit alleges that the company’s Blue Moon beer deceives consumers into thinking the product is “Craft” by marketing the…
MillerCoors Hit with Class Action Suit for Use of “Artfully Crafted” on Blue Moon Beer
On April 24, 2015, a class action lawsuit was filed in state court against MillerCoors LLC, alleging that the company’s Blue Moon beer deceives consumers into thinking the product is “Craft” by marketing the brand as “Artfully Crafted” and disassociating it from MillerCoors. See Parent v. MillerCoors LLC. The plaintiff alleges that MillerCoors…
Hillside Select: Napa Vintner Sues Angwin Winery Over Name
Napa Valley vintner Shafer Vineyards recently filed suit against Angwin, California winery owner, Mike Beatty (doing business as Howell Mountains Vineyards) for use of the term Hillside Select on its wine. Shafer Vineyards—who according to the USPTO database registered the mark Hillside Select in January 1990—alleges Mr. Beatty used the Napa Valley vintner’s registered…
Vignerons de la Méditerranée sues Westchester County Importer Pasternak
On January 5, 2015, plaintiff Vignerons de la Méditerranée (“VM”) filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of the State of New York County of Westchester against Harrison-based importer Pasternak Wine Imports (defendant). The complaint names Domaines Barons de Rothschild (“DBR”) as a co-defendant to the complaint. Pasternak was the…
The Rudy Kurniawan Sentencing and the Wine Label Certification Statement
On Thursday, August 7, 2014, Indonesian wine collector Rudy Kurniawan was sentenced to ten years in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard Berman. Mr. Kurniawan is purported to have swindled more than $20 million worth of fake wine that he allegedly created in his California home and later sold to collectors….
The Trademark Battle of Jamieson Ranch Vineyards and Pernod’s Irish Distillers
In March, Jamieson Ranch Vineyards launched a declaratory judgment suit against Pernod Richard’s Irish Distillers Limited, owner of the renowned Jameson Irish Whiskey, in response to the Ranch’s receipt of a cease and desist letter. See Jamieson Vineyards Takes On Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers. According to Jameson Clashes with Jamieson Over Name, the letter issued by Irish Distillers…