A federal judge Friday agreed with the distiller of Maker’s Mark bourbon that the dripping red-wax seal on its bottles is the company’s exclusive property, the Associated Press reports.
U.S. District Judge John Heyburn in Louisville, Ky., issued an injunction preventing a rival liquor company from using a dripping wax seal on its tequilas sold in the U.S., ending a seven-year legal fight over the distinctive bottle- topper.
Friday’s ruling caps a lawsuit between Maker’s Mark owner Fortune Brands Inc. (FO) and two competitors, Diageo PLC’s (DEO) North American unit and Casa Cuervo, over the trademarked wax seal. Mexico-based Cuervo used a dripping red wax seal on special bottles of its Reserva tequila, which was distributed by U.K.-based Diageo.
Heyburn’s ruling barred the companies from using the seal but didn’t award damages to Maker’s Mark.
Calls and emails to spokesmen for Maker’s Mark, Diageo and Cuervo weren’t immediately returned Friday, the AP says.
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