LMFAO The Beer Survives LMFAO The Band's Lawyers To Keep Its Name

from the gtfo dept

A ways back, we brought you the delightfully dumb news that LMFAO, the band, had sent a cease and desist letter to Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. over one of its beer brews, the LMFAO Stout. At chief issue, according to the brand, was a misguided concern that drinkers of the stout would somehow think that the acronym in the beer's name meant that LMFAO the band had endorsed or was otherwise affiliated with the beer. This was dumb on any number of levels, but the primary reason is that LMFAO got its name from a common internet/texting acronym, rather than achieving any kind of originality in music-group-namesmanship.

Well, while nobody is talking details, the brewery recently publicly announced that the LMFAO Stout will keep its name and business will continue on as usual.

After weeks of litigation, the Pigeon Hill Brewing Company posted on Facebook today stating that both they and the band LMFAO have reached an agreement regarding the fate of the LMFAO Stout.

Which, you know, yay, but why did it takes weeks of litigation and lawyerly conversations to conclude that everyone could live with a beer named LMFAO? Trademark law has a very handy provision that requires that marks be acquired and used ongoing in specific industries. LMFAO is a band. LMFAO Stout is a beer. There's no common marketplace here.

And, while it's a breath of fresh air to hear that two sides had legal representation that were able to work amicably to an end that got us back to exactly where we started, it isn't enough to simply congratulate everyone for not being jerks. This trademark thing is a problem the craft brewing industry is going to have to deal with eventually, or else they risk stifling the immense growth it's experienced in the past decade.

Filed Under: beer, lmfao, trademark
Companies: pigeon hill brewing company