In court filings, Patagonia alleges that Anheuser-Busch’s Patagonia beer represents a fraudulently obtained trademark that ‘deliberately has attempted to take advantage of the tremendous goodwill … and the hard-earned reputation that Patagonia Inc. has built.’
You might have noticed a beer label with rugged mountain peaks and the word “Patagonia” in big, bold letters in the cooler last year. And because Patagonia, the outerwear brand, launched its own beer brand in 2016. So you’d be forgiven for thinking they were one and the same.
But in fact, Patagonia Brewing Co. is a registered trademark of Budweiser parent company, Anheuser-Busch. It’s a trademark AB “unlawfully obtained” in 2012, according to Patagonia, and sat on until last year.
And this week, Patagonia filed a lawsuit against AB for not only infringing on its trademark name and logo but also attempting to confuse consumers through conservation initiatives and handing out branded Patagonia beer outerwear at ski resorts.
‘Patagonia Cerveza’: Patagonia Sues Anheuser-Busch
Complicating the issue is that Patagonia Brewing Co. was, in fact, the American-branded test-market brand of the Argentinian beer Cerveza Patagonia. The South American brand launched in 2008, and AB later acquired it.
When Patagonia Brewing Co. launched at two test markets in Colorado, Patagonia (outerwear) took issue. AB now markets the American beer as Cerveza Patagonia.
