According to a Monday court filing by the rock
band's lawyers, both sides agreed in principle to settle on July
31, and are working on a written settlement that would lead to
the lawsuit's dismissal.
Guns N' Roses, whose general partners include singer Axl Rose,
guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan, accused Oskar Blues on
May 9 of deliberately trading off its fame and goodwill by
selling Guns 'N' Rosé, starting in early 2018.
It also objected to the sale of related T-shirts, stickers,
buttons and bandannas, saying Oskar Blues confused beer drinkers
into thinking Guns N' Roses and Guns 'N' Rosé were connected.
The Longmont, Colorado-based brewery, whose products include
Dale's Pale Ale, has described Guns 'N' Rosé as combining
"sticky prickly pear and floral hibiscus with a subtle hop
profile."
Lawyers for the band and the brewery did not immediately respond
on Tuesday to separate requests for comment.
Other craft breweries including Lagunitas, Rogue, Sierra Nevada
and Stone have also been in trademark lawsuits, whether as
plaintiffs or defendants, as the swelling ranks of breweries
make it tougher to come up with new ways to sell beer.
The Brewers Association said the United States had 7,346 craft
breweries in 2018, up from 3,814 in 2014.
The case is Guns N' Roses v Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective
LLC d/b/a Oskar Blues Brewery, U.S. District Court, Central
District of California, No. 19-04052.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan
Oatis)
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