The absurdity of Red Bull's contention made me wonder what's really behind it.
Apparently Red Bull has done this before.
In 2013, Red Bull sued another brewery, the Redwell Brewery in Norfolk, England for exactly the same thing.
I appears Red Bull's contention there was over the "Red" in Redwell. Now they are doing the same with Old Ox. Looking at the two cases it seems all but certain that the main reason Red Bull does this is for publicity, and possibly an attempt to extort cash settlements.
In the case of Redwell, they "reached a settlement permitting Redwell to continue using its name". It's own name.
Interestingly I see that the that the company that makes Pabst, Schlitz, Old Milwaukee, Colt 45, St Ides, Strohs, Old Style, Lone Star, Olympia, and a number of other beers
HAS A BEER CALLED "RED BULL".
SO ... why isn't Red Bull trying to bully that producer: Pabst Brewers et al? ...
because Red Bull would get their blocks knocked off, and might actually lose their own trademark ... that's why.
There is nothing redeeming about this frivolous lawsuit, but I hope that Old Ox "butters that roll" their name recognition might be on incidental to the lawsuit.
I can't exactly call it a silver lining, as it does run the risk of sinking the ship, but with a coordinated publicity campaign centering around the issue, hopefully there may be some hay to be made for Old Ox.