Treasury Fights Back In Court Against Ste. Michelle’s Suit On “The Stag”

One month after Ste. Michelle Wine Estates filed suit over Treasury Wine Estates’ recently launched The Stag brand, TWE has fired back in court. A TWE spokesperson has told Shanken News Daily that it has filed a motion to dismiss Ste. Michelle’s entire complaint and also seek an affirmative judgment from the court that TWE’s proposed use of “The Stag” name isn’t in violation of U.S. trademark laws.

In late August, Ste. Michelle—parent company of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars—launched a trademark infringement suit against TWE in the U.S. District Court of Northern California. The complaint maintains that Treasury’s The Stag brand aims to mislead consumers into thinking it’s associated with Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, where TWE also owns a winery (Stags’ Leap Winery). However, TWE says strongly denies the accusation, claiming that “imagery of the Stag has long been associated with the historic St. Huberts winery in Victoria, Australia.”

“Following the success of The Stag tier of wines by St. Huberts in Australia, TWE intends to launch a North Coast Cabernet under the St. Huberts brand with a similar label design for sale in the U.S.,” added the Treasury spokesperson. “Our strategy is to build global brands across multiple markets and with wine sourced from multiple regions—this is no different. The Stag proposition for commercial use in the U.S. has no connection to Stags’ Leap Winery or the Stags Leap District—this was made very clear to Ste. Michelle before they filed their complaint.”

Tagged : Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Treasury Wine Estates, wine

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