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(Courtesy BrewDog)
Craft beer is booming in the UK. Consumer demand for limited edition and small batch beer has never been higher with the number of beer trademarks in the UK doubling since 2010, according to research by London-based law firm RPC
Mirroring the growth of craft beer in the United Kingdom, trademark applications really accelerated over the last three years.
BrewDog, now has over 130 trademarks registered in the UK, and the brewery continues to crank out new beers…And reflecting that trend, even Big Beer brewers such as Heineken, Guinness, and AB InBev have added more beers to their portfolios in recent months.
In fact UK beer trademark registrations are at a record high in the United Kingdom with 2,529 applications being filed in 2018, up from 2,372 applications in the previous year.
Registered trademarks for beer have almost doubled in the last five years, rising 89% from 1,331 in 2013.
“The boom in trademarks has also been spurred on by the rise in demand for non-alcoholic and low ABV beers,” according to the Drinks Business. “According to Nielsen data, sales of non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits reached a record high of £57m last year, an increase of 39%.”
And with that comes the increasing possibility of brand name disputes according to an international law firm RPC.
Ben Mark, Legal Director at RPC feels that in today’s competitive beer market place brand name protection has never been more vital…
“The craft beer market has grown to a scale where some of the IP behind the brands is extremely valuable. Protecting the value of those brands is becoming increasingly important.”
“Relentless demand for new niche beer products and flavors is driving the number of beer trademark registrations to record highs.” “The industry used to focus on consistency of product, now the focus is on variety.”
“Established players have learnt from the success of new entrants to the craft beer market and realized they can’t just offer consumers one product or one brand.”
And Ciara Cullen, RPC’s Head of Food and drink) added that with consumer demand for small-batch beers and special release growing legal conflicts are almost inevitable…
“The enormous range of products now available means that beer brands are likely to overlap. “Properly protecting and enforcing your IP not only generates value in your brand but helps you achieve longevity in a highly competitive market.”
In 2018, BrewDog won its battle against the Elvis Presley estate after a previous ruling, which banned the Scottish brewer from calling one of its beers ‘Elvis Juice,’ was overturned. Before the first ruling, BrewDog founders James Watt and Martin Dickie both changed their names to Elvis by deed poll after the estate took legal action against them.
