The dog toy Bad Spaniels makes whiskey producer Jack Daniels bark a lot.
The allegations are that the dog toy, which is a parody rubber imitation, looks like a Jack Daniel’s bottle,
The whiskey maker believes the dog toy is confusing consumers by taking advantage of Jack Daniel’s hard-earned reputation.
The toy manufacturer, VIP Products, thinks it’s all meant as a joke, but Jack Daniels is not very happy.
This week, the two producers met in the Supreme Court.
This is similar to:
- The shape of the dog toy is almost identical to the Jack Daniel’s bottle.
- While the original has the words “Old No. 7 brand” on the label, the imitation has the text “The Old No. 2 on Your Tennessee Carpet”.
- The original bottle states that the whiskey contains 40 percent alcohol, while the dog toy states that it is “43 percent Poo by Vol” and “100 percent smelly.”
The packaging of the whiskey toy states that the product is not affiliated with the Jack Daniel Distillery. This is not good enough, says the whiskey producer.
The toy manufacturer has previously told the court that they think Jack Daniel’s cannot stand a joke.
In favor of whiskey
During the trial on Thursday, Jack Daniels should have had reason to raise a glass, writes the AP news agency.
TO THE SUPREME COURT: The case is now being heard in the Supreme Court in Washington, but will be sent on to a lower court. Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP
In a court case from 2020, the toy manufacturer, VIP Products, was upheld by the court. The case was then sent to the Supreme Court.
On Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan asked that the case be sent for a new assessment in a lower court, and that it was not right to give the toy manufacturer the upper hand.
It was in November that the Supreme Court in Washington agreed to deal with the bizarre conflict. The case is expected to conclude before the court takes its summer break.
Has more products
The manufacturer that supplies the toy, VIP products, has been selling the whiskey-like toy since 2014.
IMITATORS: The toy manufacturer has several types of toys that resemble well-known products, such as the beer from Heineken. Photo: Jean Bizimana / Reuters
The manufacturer supplies several types of similar toys, including a “Mountain Drool” bottle which is supposed to imitate the soft drink Mountain Dew, as well as a bottle with the inscription “Heini Sniff´n”, which is supposed to resemble a beer from Heineken.
