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(Courtesy Stone Brewing)
Going into the weekend, news broke that Stone Brewing had won a $56 million verdict in a four-year old trademark dispute with brewing giant Molson Coors.
Here’s some background…
On February 12, 2018 announced that it was filing a lawsuit against one of the world’s largest beer conglomerates, MillerCoors, (now Molson Coors).
The suit alleged that MillerCoors is trying to rebrand its Colorado Rockies-themed “Keystone” beer as “STONE.” The craft beer pioneer felt that it has no choice but to combat MillerCoors’ aggressive marketing moves, which abandon Keystone’s own heritage with deliberately confusing rebranding.
“Keystone’s rebranding is no accident,” said Dominic Engels, Stone Brewing’s CEO who left the company in 2020.
“MillerCoors tried to register our name years ago and was rejected. Now its marketing team is making 30-pack boxes stacked high with nothing but the word ‘STONE’ visible. Same for Keystone’s social media, which almost uniformly has dropped the ‘Key.’ We will not stand for this kind of overtly and aggressively deceptive advertising. Frankly, MillerCoors should be ashamed.”
(Stone Brewing Co-Founder Greg Koch)
On March 30, 2020 the federal court overseeing Stone Brewing’s trademark dispute rejected defendant MillerCoors/Keystone’s motion for summary judgment (a judgment by the court for one party and against another without a trial).
“In a 41-page order dated March 27, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez found it was a “close call” in deciding whether to grant Stone Brewing summary judgment on its trademark infringement claim against the Keystone beer maker” according to Courthouse News Service. “He ultimately found it was a decision for a jury.”
After multiple delays, the trial, which one US District judge in San Diego called “one of the most contentious cases I’ve ever experienced.” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, kicked off on March 7.
And on Friday March 31 the San Diego federal court ruled in favor of Stone Brewing and awarded the company $56 million settlement, which while far below the $216 million Stone was asking for is still a big win for the nation’s 9th largest craft brewer.
“From the moment our team saw Keystone’s intentional theft of the STONE® trademark, we believed this day would come, explained Maria Stipp, Stone Brewing CEO. “We are committed to doing everything in our power to protect the incredible reputation of the Stone brand and the passionate team who built it. We’d like to thank the team at Braunhagey & Borden LLP for their representation of our case. They put their heart, souls and talent into it, and we couldn’t have asked for anything more than that.”
Stone Brewing Co-Founder Greg Koch added, “This is a historic day for Stone Brewing, and for the craft beer industry. Molson Coors threatened our heritage, but we stood up to that threat.”
“They will put the ‘Key’ back in ‘Keystone’ ending their hostile 4-year co-op of the Stone name. Cheers to our legions of fans, friends and supporters who believe in the good that craft beer brings. This is your win too.”
The three-week trial took place before US District Judge Roger Benitez and an eight-person jury.
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(All image credits: Stone Brewing)
