© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Judge Rules Against Phyllis Schlafly in Beer Trademark Case

Gage Skidmore
/
Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has sided with the maker of Schlafly beer in its trademark dispute with conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.

Phyllis Schlafly sought to block St. Louis Brewery's effort to trademark the brand's name, an effort that began in 2012 as its sales outside Missouri began to grow.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier this month that the Patent and Trademark Office dismissed opposition filed by the St. Louis native and her son, Bruce Schlafly, rejecting the argument that a trademark shouldn't be allowed because it's primarily a surname.

The brewery was co-founded in 1991 by Tom Schlafly, who is Phyllis Schlafly's nephew by marriage.

Phyllis Schlafly's attorney, another of her sons, says an appeal is likely.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content