Moose beer battle brewing

REGINA – District Brewing’s ‘Müs Knuckle’ is under attack by Moosehead Breweries, alleging the Saskatchewan start-up’s flagship beer bears too much resemblance to their ‘Moosehead’ lager.

Moosehead Brewery’s legal team recently notified District they are opposing the ‘Müs Knuckle’ trademark application.

“We did our due diligence at the onset when registering the name Müs Knuckle, so this legal statement of opposition certainly caught us by surprise,” said President Jay Cooke.

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“Furthermore, the trademark office did not identify any conflicting concerns with the name. We’re passionate about our brand and our community, so we’re looking into all options to this opposition.”

‘Müs Knuckle’ was first released in 2013, and the owners say its popularity has grown rapidly, with the beer now being distributed across Western Canada.

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Moosehead Breweries in a statement said:

“We are defending our trademark rights to ensure the integrity of our brand. This is an on-going effort by the Company to oppose potential registrations which create confusion with our brand. We have a long history of defending our Moose and Moosehead family of brands.”

“We’re a local employer, creating jobs right here in Saskatchewan,” Cooke proclaimed. “We may be small, but we’re proud and definitely 100 percent committed to our community by sponsoring sports teams and participating in fundraising with various charities across Saskatchewan. So to have this behemoth from out east blindside us like this, well I was speechless. It’s truly akin to David vs. Goliath.”

Cooke and his team are currently looking at what strategic options they have against Moosehead Brewery.