Earlier this week, Sony Pictures filed a lawsuit against California’s Knee Deep Brewing for its IPA called Breaking Bud, the brewery’s best-selling beer that uses imagery on its label similar to the logo for the television series Breaking Bad.
Thursday, Knee Deep posted a response to the suit on Instagram from its CEO Jerry Moore, where he said that Sony knew about the beer when it was launched in 2015, and a representative had said, “We really appreciate the callout to our very popular show.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhuarHyB7-m/?taken-by=kneedeepbrewingco
Moore says that at no point during the discussions did Sony suggest it had an issue with the beer, nor did it threaten a lawsuit over its name or label. He also says that the beer’s label was intended to be a “joke,” which is how he feels customers have taken it.
Sony is suing Knee Deep for trademark infringement and unfair competition and is seeking monetary damages as well as an injunction to prevent the brewery from using the Breaking Bud name and its current logo going forward.
