Firstly a bit of background for those just tuning in...
In a response letter I sent to Fosters Group America, the Managing Director told me the reason they were unable to import VB (or other Fosters brands) into the USA was because of trademark issues...
So - I looked up the trademark "Victoria Bitter" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and what I found was quite interesting.
There were 5 cases listed... The bottom 4 were simply change of ownership when Fosters Group bought out Carlton and United Breweries a few years back....
The current case was filed on January 23, 2007 (coincidentally, the same date the letter from Fosters Group to me was dated....).
The current status for this case reads as follows:
"A non-final action has been mailed. This is a letter from the examining attorney requesting additional information and/or making an initial refusal. However, no final determination as to the registrability of the mark has been made."
Hmm.... So, maybe Fosters really are having some kind of legal issues with the term "Victoria Bitter"...
Just to check, I searched all other Fosters Group beers too....
The only one that came up was Pure Blonde...
So - could this mean once resolved, VB may have a chance Stateside... We'll see!
Cheers....
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