Grass greener for US brewery after Anheuser-Busch drops trademark opposition
Beer manufacturer Anheuser-Busch (AB) has reportedly dropped its opposition to a US brewery’s trademark application for ‘Natty Greene’.
AB, which produces beers including Beck’s, Budweiser and Stella Artois, claimed the applied-for mark by North Carolina-based Natty Greene’s Pub & Brewing would infringe its trademarks that include the term ‘Natty’.
The term ‘Natty’ is associated with AB’s Natural Light brand of beer, which also includes a product called the Natty Daddy.
But the companies have reportedly reached a confidential settlement.
Last summer, AB opposed Natty Greene’s application at the US Patent and Trademark Office.
AB claimed that it has been using the ‘Natty’ name in connection with its beers since at least 1998 and that it has US trademarks including ‘Natty Light’ and ‘Fatty Natty’.
According to AB, Natty Greene’s trademark application, filed in 2013, would cause confusion among consumers.
Natty Greene’s opened its first branch in Greensboro, North Carolina, where it also runs a pub, in 2004. The brewery opened a second one in Raleigh, the state’s capital city, in 2010.
The company’s name comes from Nathanael Greene, a general in the American Revolution. The city of Greensboro is apparently named after him.
Neither company responded to a request for comment on the settlement.
But Kayne Fisher, Natty Greene’s co-founder, told the Greensboro news website News & Record that the company “wants to focus on the future” and develop Natty Greene’s as a brand.
