News Briefs for June 28, 2011
June 28, 2011•The Wine Group (TWG) is suing Indiana’s Tipton Spirits in a U.S. District Court in Sacramento, alleging that Tipton’s Desiree vodka brand and specifically its Cupcake and Red Velvet flavors infringe on the trademarks of The Wine Group’s Cupcake wine and vodka brand. TWG’s suit asserts that Desiree piggybacks on the “personal rewards” theme and imagery TWG has employed to great success with Cupcake wines—including a Red Velvet red blend—as well as the Cupcake vodka extension, which rolled out this spring. TWG is asking the court for an injunction against its new competitor, which is now selling Desiree online and seeking to extend its distribution throughout the U.S. Tipton’s CEO is Jerry Knight, a former new product development executive with Diageo.
•Anheuser-Busch vice president for media, sports and entertainment Mark Wright, is leaving the company for a new position at AT&T, where he will become vice president-media services.
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