Beer label similarity provokes lawsuit between brands

Although it appears to have been short-lived, similarity between two beer labels provoked a conflict between two well-known beer​ companies, Lagunitas Brewing Co. and Sierra Nevada. The former believes that the design used by Sierra Nevada for its Hop Hunter India Pale Ale is too close to the one used for Lagunitas’ own IPA. The suit has been dropped, but it’s enough to encourage other beer companies to think carefully when choosing the best fonts and images for product labels.

At a glance, the style of both labels is certainly similar: each uses large, black, typeset-like letters that look reminiscent of the labeling printed on the side of an old shipping crate. Both labels also feature the name of the brewing company juxtaposed over the letters “IPA” and additional information in a smaller size set underneath.

The official legal complaint from last month describes the logic behind Lagunitas’ defense of its intellectual property. The company argued that the style is indelibly linked with its products.

“The unique ‘IPA’ lettering used in the Lagunitas ‘IPA’ Family of Trademarks has a distinctive serif font, distinctive kerning (or letter spacing), between the ‘P’ and the ‘A’, slightly aged or weathered look, with uneven areas on each of the letters, and the elimination of any periods between the letters,” it reads.

However, Tony Magee, owner of Lagunitas, said over Twitter that he was dropping the charges, apparently because he had been “seriously schooled” in the “Court of Public Opinion.” The Press Democrat recently noted that Magee has gone after other brands before, accusing Knee Deep Brewing Co. of similar actions in 2012.

If you’re a professional beer manufacturer, set up your own industrial labeling systems to make creating, printing and applying labels simple and reduce all confusion.