LIV Vodka Sues LIV Golf for Trademark Infringement
Baiting Hollow-based distillery Long Island Spirits, maker of LIV vodka, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the upstart international LIV Golf tournament that the Saudi Arabian royal family launched to compete with traditional golf tours.
At issue is the new golf tour’s plans to roll out a canned cocktail line that the North Fork vodka makers argue could confuse customers who might mistake the the products for locally made canned cocktails adorned with a similar LIV logo, attorneys for the plaintiffs argue in the suit that was filed March 25 at Central Islip federal court. LIV distiller and trademark-holder Long Island Spirits also alleges that the golf tour’s apparel line causes confusion due to the similar logos.
“LIV Golf’s effort to swamp our client’s brand is precisely what the trademark and unfair competition laws were designed to prevent,” said Chris Rice, an attorney with the Manhattan-based law firm of BraunHagey & Borden LLP, who represents the plaintiffs. “We hope LIV Golf recognizes the impact its conduct is having on Long Island Spirits’ LIV brand products and does the right thing by remedying that harm.”
Attorneys note in court documents that the distiller, which federally trademarked LIV in 2007, as it is the company’s most popular brand, it has not sued the “LIV” nightclub in Miami Beach, which uses its mark on apparel because “LIV and the owner of this mark have long co-existed based on the shared understanding that the marks do not conflict and would not lead to consumer confusion.”LIV, the distillery, is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction that would block the gold tour from selling alcohol and apparel using its version of the LIV logo.
LIV, the golf tour, has been marketing and selling “LIV” branded cocktails with names like the “LIV Clubhouse Cooler” and the “LIV It Up Bloody Mary.”
“LIV Golf’s aggressive use of our ‘LIV’ brand isn’t just causing market confusion; it is a direct attempt to hijack the exact spirits and lifestyle categories we invested decades in building,” said Long Island Spirits’ founder, Rich Stabile. “This case is about protecting our consumers from confusion and making clear that our decades of investment in the LIV brand is not usurped by a large company who happens to like the brand.”
LIV representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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