BrewDog has lost a legal battle with the estate of Elvis Presley over the name of one of a best-selling beer.
The beer maker launched its “Brewdog Elvis Juice” IPA in 2015 and it now has annual sales of £6.4 million in the UK alone.
Bosses were contacted by lawyers from the late singer’s estate who demanded they change the name.
The craft brewing company, based in Ellon, had won the right to register the brand as a trademark in the UK in 2018.
However, they have been denied exclusive rights to the name in Europe – potentially threatening sales on the continent.
Although Elvis Presley died in 1977, his name and likeness have been trademarked by Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), which earns millions of dollars every year.
EPE objected after BrewDog applied to register the name as a trademark for beers to be sold in European countries.
The Elvis estate said the application overlapped with its registered trademark “Elvis” and people could mistakenly believe that the beer was endorsed by them.
Now the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has found in favour of the Elvis estate.
After the row first erupted in 2016, James Watt and Martin Dickie, founders of BrewDog, changed their names by deed poll to Elvis in a bid to prove the name was not exclusive.
They insisted that their beer had no connection to the rock and roll star.
