News brewed on 29.01.18

Elvis never left the building: BrewDog celebrates trademark victory with a round for….ElvisBrewDog to offer Elvis impersonators celebratory beer this week to cheer trademark victory

Independent Scottish brewer BrewDog, is celebrating last week’s trademark victory over the Elvis Presley Estate by giving away a free schooner of BrewDog Elvis Juice to fans visiting any of its 37 UK bars, or its venues in Barcelona, Brussels and Berlin on Saturday 3rd or Sunday 4th February, dressed as Elvis Presley. BrewDog Elvis Juice, a grapefruit-infused IPA, launched in 2015, but was soon hit with a lawsuit from the Rock & Roll singer’s estate alleging it infringed on its trademark and requesting BrewDog change the name.

In reaction, BrewDog’s co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie changed their first names to Elvis by deed poll in 2016 to demonstrate the lack of exclusivity of the name Elvis. After losing the trademark battle in 2017, BrewDog appealed, and last Thursday, the UKIPO ruled in its favour.

Since launching in 2015, BrewDog Elvis Juice has gone on to become the third best-selling craft beer in the UK, after BrewDog’s Punk IPA and Dead Pony Club. Sales of the beer exceeded £5.5million in 2017.

BrewDog co-founder James Watt said:

“This is a victory for common sense. It’s a triumph for all underdogs battling against corporate inflexibility and entrenched hubris. It’s a win for the thousands of beer drinkers across the world that have been refreshed by amazing craft beer, and have so passionately supported us over the last three years. This is a vindication of our belief in freedom and our dogged decision to appeal the initial ruling, and not go gently into the night.”

In the past year, BrewDog has shipped the equivalent of 65 million bottles of craft beer around the world, and released the first beers from its new American brewery in Columbus, Ohio. BrewDog’s remarkable growth has been powered by its record-breaking Equity for Punks crowdfunding initiative, which has seen the brewery raise over £52million since 2009.

In October last year, the brewery launched its fifth round of Equity for Punks, looking to raise at least £10million, with a stretch goal of up to £50 million, in order to further its global expansion. This includes the construction of new breweries in Australia and Asia, the opening of 15 new craft beer venues in the UK, increasing production capacity in its UK brewery, and the creation of a dedicated craft beer TV network. Equity for Punks V has so far raised over £12 million from more than 25,000 investors across Europe. It is due to close on October 15, 2018.

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About BrewDog plc

Since 2007 BrewDog has been on a mission to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as we are. From the Headliner series, which includes bold, uncompromising pack leaders like the flagship Punk IPA, to the Amplified range (beer, but turned up to 11), BrewDog creates beer that blows people’s minds and has kick-started a revolution.

Cofounders James Watt and Martin Dickie shook up the business world in 2010 with the launch of pioneering crowdfunding initiative Equity for Punks, an initiative that has seen the company raise £52m over five rounds, taking more money through online equity crowdfunding than any other on record. The funds, and the army of punk shareholders (71,000) has enabled the Scottish craft brewery to scale up without selling out.

With 50 global bar launches, export into 55 countries, and a brewery in Ohio that launched in 2017, BrewDog continues to take the craft beer revolution stratospheric, whilst continuing to push the boundaries, invest in people, put the beer first, and champion other small breweries in its venues.

For more information, please contact:

Julian Obubo & Elly Barham-Marsh

t: 0203 1379 270

e: brewdog@manifest.london