Craft brewer wins trademark battle

An Australian craft brewer has won the right to continue using its name “Wayward” after a two-year legal battle with beer giant SABMiller, who claimed it was too similar to their brand “Haywards”.

Wayward Brewing Company, which produces about 30,000 litres of beer annually, was brought to court by SABMiller’s Indian subsidiary over claims the craft brewer was infringing on the trademarking of its brands Haywards 5000 and Haywards 2000.

Pete Philip, the brewery’s owner and founder, described the lawsuit as a “David and Goliath” situation and attributed the global brewer’s actions to fears over the threat posed by craft beer’s growing share of the Australian beer market – despite the industry holding just 2% of the market.

In bringing the case, SABMiller cited 14 reasons why Wayward….