On Friday, March 18, after four years of litigation and a 15-day trial in California federal court, a jury found that MillerCoors infringed Stone Brewing’s “STONE” trademark in MillerCoors’ labeling of its “Keystone” brand beer. The jury awarded Stone Brewing $56 Million in damages.
The lawsuit began in February 2018 after MillerCoors, in 2017, rebranded and packaged its “Keystone” beer as “STONE.”
Here, in 2018, is a selection of Stone Brewing’s canned beers:
Here is the rebranded packaging of MillerCoors’ Keystone Light beer in 2017:
In its legal complaint, Stone Brewing alleged that MillerCoors intentionally misled consumers into thinking that its rebranded Keystone beer was a Stone Brewing product. Stone Brewing filed claims of trademark infringement and unfair competition.
The jury agreed that MillerCoors infringed. It did not find that MillerCoors’ conduct was “willful.”
MillerCoors has stated that it is considering an appeal of the verdict.
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