Jack Daniels accuses a dog toy company of infringing on its trademark with a toy resembling its whiskey bottle.
Today, the US Supreme Court is set to hear a case involving Jack Daniels and VIP Products LLC. Jack Daniels alleges that VIP’s dog chew toy designed to look like a Jack Daniels bottle is a breach of trademark law. In response, VIP argues that the toy is a protected parody under the First Amendment.
var pref_connatix_event_title_prefix = ‘ConnatixLarge’;var prefMainPlayer=pref_connatix_event_title_prefix;var pref_connatix_catapultx_id = ‘tdw-main-player’;
cnxps.cmd.push(function () {
cnxps({
playerId: getUrsCtxStoryPlayer() ,”customParam1″:getUrsPI(),”customParam2″:getUrsSTI(),”customParam3″:”ConnatixMain”,settings: {queryJsTargeting:{apsTargetingKey:getUrsTI().split(‘_’).slice(0,1).join(‘_’).toLowerCase()},advertising: {macros: {“CustomMacro1″:getUrsPI(),”CustomMacro2″:getUrsSTI(),”CustomMacro3″:”ConnatixMain”}}}
}).render(‘307852102563439fa7d193066a4208a5’,connatix_js_ready_callback);
});
Jack Daniel’s attorney, Lisa Blatt, stated, “Jack Daniel’s appreciates humor but doesn’t want its whiskey associated with dog toys.” The toy features a dog image with the text “Bad Spaniels: The old No. 2 on your Tennessee carpet.”
Blatt argued that VIP is misleading customers by imitating Jack Daniel’s trademarks, profiting from its reputation, and linking the whiskey to undesirable connotations.
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that pits whiskey giant Jack Daniels against a dog toy maker whose best-selling chewy toy parodies the brand.https://t.co/221P4SofvI
— NPR (@NPR) March 22, 2023
VIP’s lawyer, Bennett Cooper, defended the toy as a legitimate parody, stating that it clearly differentiates itself from the real product by being a vinyl dog toy with a squeaker, not an actual whiskey bottle.
