'Not funny!' says Jack Daniel's in lawsuit to stop imitation dog toy

Robert Besser
23 Nov 2022, 20:10 GMT+10

In court filings, Jack Daniel's claims that Bad Spaniels toy broke the law by mimicking the square shape of its whisky bottle.
The toy retails for $13 to $20 and the packaging notes in small type, stating, "This product is not affiliated with Jack Daniel Distillery."
In a case supported by other major manufacturers, such as Campbell Soup, Patagonia and Levi Strauss, the high court could decide as soon as this week whether to hear the case.

WASHINGTON D.C.: Jack Daniel's has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case against the manufacturer of the plastic Bad Spaniels toy, urging justices to take what they say is an important case for trademark law.

In a case supported by other major manufacturers, such as Campbell Soup, Patagonia and Levi Strauss, the high court could decide as soon as this week whether the justices will agree to hear the case.

In court filings, Jack Daniel's claims that Bad Spaniels toy broke the law by mimicking the square shape of its whisky bottle.

The toy retails for $13 to $20 and the packaging notes in small type, stating, "This product is not affiliated with Jack Daniel Distillery."

Lawyer for the toy maker, Arizona-based VIP Products, said Jack Daniel's cannot accept a joke. "It is ironic that America's leading distiller of whiskey both lacks a sense of humor and does not recognize when it, and everyone else, has had enough," the lawyer wrote to the court.

The toy manufacturer told the justices that Jack Daniel's has 'waged war" against the company for "having the temerity to produce a pun-filled parody" of its bottle.

In response, Jack Daniel's lead attorney, Lisa Blatt, said in her filing, "To be sure, everyone likes a good joke. But VIP's profit-motivated 'joke' confuses consumers by taking advantage of Jack Daniel's hard-earned goodwill."

Blatt noted that a lower court decision provides "near-blanket protection" to humorous trademark infringement.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to India Gazette.

More Information

12 ℃

Fog in New Delhi/Gandhi

Business

Section

Moody's warns of downgrade in China's credit outlook

NEW YORK: This week, ratings agency Moody's warned that it could downgrade China's credit rating, citing costs to bail out ...

Artificial intelligence stocks all the rage on Wall Street

NEW YORK, New York - AI set the scene for solid gains in technology shares on Thursday. Demand for Alphabet ...

To reduce car-wildlife collisions US allots $110 million to 17 states

WASHINGTON D.C.: To help reduce car collisions with wildlife and help animals safely cross roadways, the U.S. Transportation Department has ...

European Commission to upgrade EU countries' EV power grids

BRUSSELS, Belgium: To address power shortages at electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, last week, the European Commission announced plans to ...

China's major pig breeders face mounting debts, losses

BEIJING, China: Falling hog prices, mounting losses and rising debt are putting pressure on the biggest pig breeders in China, ...

Wall Street loses ground Wednesday, U.D. dollar gains

NEW YORK, New York - A decline in labor costs as measured by ADP failed to boost U.S. Markets Wednesday."ADP's ...

Delhi

Section

"2 nations are now in his debt": Australian PM commends heroic rescue efforts of Arnold Dix in Uttarakhand tunnel operation

Canberra [Australia], December 8 (ANI): Addressing the Australian Parliament on Friday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lauded the exceptional contributions ...