Famous pooch Spuds MacKenzie is in the middle of a dog fight involving Anheuser-Busch.
A company named Spuds Ventures is seeing the gigantic beer company, claiming it owns the trademark to the famous dog, and Anheuser-Busch infringed on it after it featured the dog in its Super Bowl ad.
Spuds MacKenzie, who became famous for being the mascot for Bud Light in the 80s, came back in a spot called “Ghost Spuds” for this year’s Super Bowl.
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Taking a page from the movie “A Christmas Carol” the ad features Spuds MacKenzie as an angel, floating above a man, who continually stays home, rather than hang out with his friends (and enjoy Bud Lights). After Spuds MacKenzie shows the man what he is missing out on, the guy decides to become social. The ad ends with, “You’re just not here for the parties, you are here for the friendships.”
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While many fans were excited to see Spuds MacKenzie resurrect his role, Spuds Ventures was not one of them.
The company claims it applied for the Spuds MacKenzie trademark last August and was awarded it on Jan 24, 12 days before the ad went live. In the suit, it stated its trademark covered use in “bar services, beer garden services, pubs” and other beer-related businesses.
Not so, says Anheuser Busch. A spokesperson for Bud Light says that Spuds Ventures only trademarked for “pet dietary supplements and grooming supplies.”
“We believe the lawsuit is without merit and intend to vigorously defend against it,” Anheuser-Busch told This Dog’s Life.
However, we did a trademark search and indeed under Spuds Ventures LLC, the trademark would be used for beer-type purposes. Under serial number 87148812 for the trademark Spuds MacKenzie, it states it would be used for “Bar services; Beer garden services; Pubs; Restaurant services; Restaurant services, namely, providing of food and beverages for consumption on and off the premises; Taproom services.”
We reached out to Anheuser-Busch and are awaiting comment.
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