It is Wednesday, and I’m lazy. I could do real work, or I could outsource that work to a sober and competent professional. Someone, like say, Brendan Palfreyman, a craft beer attorney and homebrewer working for Harris Beach in New York. If you don’t follow Palfreyman (do it right here), you should because he’s got a passion for craft and an aptitude for simplifying alcohol law, trademark disputes, intellectual property matters and legalese of the beyond. While you’re at it, also take a gander at Palfreyman’s website (trademarkyourbeer.com). Then, enjoy this series of Tweets Palfreyman unleashed summarizing MillerCoors’ 82-page counterclaim against Stone Brewing Co.’s lawsuit against Keystone Light. MillerCoors makes some interesting statements. Here’s just a few to wet your whistle. Read’em all right over here.
THREAD: @MillerCoors just filed an 82-page Counterclaim and Answer vs @StoneBrewing in the KEYSTONE LIGHT lawsuit. MillerCoors requests a ruling that it, rather than Stone Brewing, is the exclusive user of the word STONE. Copy of the doc available at https://t.co/NlEGv6XbUH pic.twitter.com/RVgmVt9EnK
— BrendanPalfreymanEsq (@B_Palfreyman) April 11, 2018
A shot across the bow as @MillerCoors accuses @StoneBrewing of bringing a suit not about copying, but Stone’s own identity as a “mega-craft brewer,” referencing the $90M in private equity and a @PasteMagazine story about @MitchHopTripper leaving Stone because it got “too big” pic.twitter.com/VLseWZd3gI
— BrendanPalfreymanEsq (@B_Palfreyman) April 11, 2018
Now history lesson as @MillerCoors describes its roots in 1873 and its popularity in the 70s with pop references to Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Keith Richards, Smokey and the Bandit, and Gerald Ford all in one paragraph pic.twitter.com/tEobSlWx67
— BrendanPalfreymanEsq (@B_Palfreyman) April 11, 2018
@MillerCoors pulls no punches, accusing @StoneBrewing of not knowing what to do that it too has become “Big Beer” and wanting to stoke a “War” between big beer and craft brewers. MC claims there is no such war and that: “People just want to drink beer.” pic.twitter.com/CD111DYLBa
— BrendanPalfreymanEsq (@B_Palfreyman) April 11, 2018
Here’s where it gets even more interesting, @MillerCoors next claims it started referring to KEYSTONE LIGHT as ‘STONES back in 1995 (well before @stonebrewing‘s first use in 1998), providing the below example of “30 ‘STONES” packaging pic.twitter.com/QZgNCHkIly
— BrendanPalfreymanEsq (@B_Palfreyman) April 11, 2018
