Gallo (Wine) Sues Gallo (Beer)

The E. & J. Gallo Winery has filed a trademark infringement suit  against two people behind Baton Rouge-based Cerveza Gallo. The action was brought on Jan. 20 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

Cerveza Gallo is the oldest continuously produced beer in Guatamala, brewed by Cervecería Centro Americana which was founded in 1886 by Mariano and Rafael Castillo Córdova.

E. & J. Gallo Winery, founded in 1933, has previously threatened the Guatamalan brewery which now markets the beer in the United States as Cerveza Famosa.

Gallo’s court documents did not include an image of the alleged trademark violation and did not disclose what the relationship (if any) might exist between the Louisiana-based Cerveza Gallo and Cervecería Centro Americana.

The following link provides the full complaint filed by Gallo. (Premium content for Wine Executive News Subscribers): E. & J. GALLO WINERY versus CERVEZA GALLO