Red Bull has got beef with a Sardinian wine maker. Vineyard owner Mattia Muggittu caused the energy drink company to have a cow when he started selling his Boeli wine in bottles with a logo featuring two bulls.
The stakes are high as intellectual property lawyers acting for Red Bull allege that the Boeli label bares similarities to the trade mark on its energy drink cans, which depicts two bulls charging at each other inside a golden sun.
While Red Bull has a global turnover in excess of £10bn, Muggittu has only sold 2,000 bottles, but Red Bull may still want to milk him for all he is worth. The international sports drink company might, however, be on a hiding to nothing since Muggittu has been able to take the matter by the horns thanks to an outpouring of support, both locally and across the globe, encouraging him to plough on.
This dispute comes in the wake of another high profile case, where fashion designer Thom Browne earned his stripes by successfully defending a legal challenge from Adidas who alleged his designs infringed its iconic branding.
If you want to protect your branding and IP and avoid a costly intellectual property dispute, please contact Rhys ap Gwent at Morgan LaRoche Solicitors.
