A Swedish brewery has, according to The Drinks Business, lost a legal battle against the owners of the Jagermeister brand after it was alleged that the name of one of their drinks was too similar to the well-known brand.
Mr Magnus Jensen filed an application to register his new beer “Jagarol After Hunt” as registered trademark with Swedent’s trademark and patent office (“PRV”) last year. It was originally granted a registered trademark status but it recently emerged that the owners of the Jagermeister registered trademark had issued proceedings in Sweden for infringement of their registered trademark, claiming that the registered name of “Jagarol After Hunt” was too similar to the name of the Jagermeister brand and that consumers may become confused by the two products.
The PRV, according to the Local, examined Jagermeister’s complaint for trademark infringement and upheld it, stripping Mr Jensen of the registered trademark.
Mr Jensen later stated: “It’s totally ridiculous that Jägermeister is trying to crush a little, little local brewery. I’m not a threat to them and it’s impossible to get us mixed up”. He also stated that he would not be renewing the contract to supply outlets with the beer.
Chris Hadrill, a solicitor and employment law firm Redmans, commented: “Even if the applicant for a registered trademark thoroughly does their research on the trademark that they wish to apply for, it may be the case that their registered trademark is struck out if the relevant registering body believes that it infringes upon a previously-registered trademark. This case demonstrates why it’s important to conduct thorough research before making the application.”
Redmans Solicitors are no win no fee employment solicitors and unfair dismissal solicitors.
