Cascadia trademark dispute:
 

Not sure if anyone has brought this up yet. Posted in the Vancouver Sun newspaper today. (BC, Canada)


http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/11/27/beer-nerds-in-a-froth-over-steamworks-trademark-claim/

I'm usually against the whole 'trademark' name thing. But, if they have had a trademark on the name for 15 years....sounds like they may have a point. On a side note, I've been to the brew pub when I was in Vancouver. Pretty nice place.

They've got a legitimate claim seeing as they own the Trademark and the BJCP doesn't recognize "Cascadian Dark Ale" or any variant of the name as a style. According to them the style is called "American Style Black Ale".

What does the BJCP have to do with anything? They are a Judging body. And as far as I know haven't officially adopted the style at all. I think the Brewers Association has adopted "American Style India Black Ale".

As long as they are the first to trademark the name, and it's not in the public domain, and as long as they protect the name from infringement, they probably have a very good case.

But isnt cascadia theoretically a place? How do you trademark that?

Same way companies acquire marks with the names of other places like cities and states.

Question is, when exactly did they begin protecting the trademark. It's all well and good that they've held the trademark for 15 years, but if they only just started making efforts to protect it in the last few years, then maybe some of the folks arguing that the trademark isn't valid may have a point.

That said, it does seem that I've been reading of more examples of douchnozzlery between members of the brewing community lately than I like to think of... What with this, the "Strange Brew" conflict, and I know there are at least another one or two that escape me...

Crediting a "Place" with a style was ridiculous to begin with. More power too em.

Yeah, like a Flanders red ale or Berlinerweiss or Scottish 60/-. Oh, wait.

If it had been American dark ale, OK.

Oh, you missed IndiaPA :drunk: