Two breweries were sparking debate on social media outlets in May over a trademark dispute. The Burlington, Vermont based Magic Hat filed a lawsuit against Lexington, Kentucky based West Sixth Brewing Company, alleging similarities between the companies logo designs. West Sixth counter-attacked with a blog-post requesting a consumer boycott of Magic Hat’s products. The conflict turned into a public diatribe in social media, which poses the question…should legal issues be debated in the open or kept quiet in closed legal proceedings?

This situation was not resolved until going behind closed doors for mediation. West Sixth Brewing Company has slightly changed their logo and according to brewbound.com both companies will ensure that consumers perceive the two brands differently. Also, both companies have agreed to cease with the public comments about each other. You can read part one of the story here: http://www.brewbound.com/news/marking-territory-beer-companies-start-trademark-battles
and the conclusion here: http://www.brewbound.com/news/magic-hat-and-west-sixth-brewing-resolve-trademark-dispute

You can see how easy it is to get into legal battles with competitors and how important it is to ensure your brand is safe from being the target of others, or from you infringing upon them. Get more information here: https://jhrlegal.com/