[Jimbee (OP)]

I think it's just a local business in metro Detroit. But the Sign of the Beefcarver is an a la carte style restaurant. It's been around as long as I can remember. But it used to be called the Sign of the Beefeater. Because as you can see from attached picture, it has a man on the sign eating beef. But in the early 80s Beefeater Gin sued them for copyright infringement. And they won. They had to change all their signs. And I still remember, they had seasoned salt bottles in their restaurant with the old name on it. They crossed them all out with a magic marker.

The beefeater is the name of the yeoman of the Guard in the Tower of London. The guard dates back to 1485 and King Henry VII. How could that name possibly be copyrighted? And why was the lawsuit successful? Plus their name was Sign of the Beefeater. Not Beefeater Gin or even just Beefeater. Sign, of, the, Beefeater. So why did Beefeater Gin win?

[Petrochemicals]

Did they go to court ? Many times the little people fold because of the pressure and costs.

[Bored chemist]

OK, this is UK law but...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_moron_in_a_hurry

[alancalverd]

www.beefeater.co,uk lists around 100 restaurants owned by Whitbread brewery, who bought Beefeater Gin in 1987, so they may have had a point in law.

[Petrochemicals]

As for like products with like names I can find Budweiser, as far as I can read the courts judgement appears to be "tough!"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_trademark_dispute#:~:text=The%20dispute%20has%20been%20ongoing,this%20right%20in%20North%20America.

[Jimbee (OP)]

www.beefeater.co,uk lists around 100 restaurants owned by Whitbread brewery, who bought Beefeater Gin in 1987, so they may have had a point in law.

This was the early 80s. Like around 1980-2.

[alancalverd]

Then worth looking at a possible trademark infringement, particularly if they used a cartoon beefeater on a bottle of liquid.

[Petrochemicals]

See here

https://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/#/

[Petrochemicals]

Beefeater gin's logo  is actually nothing like the logo on the sign on the common use Toby image.

 
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