ACDA Challenges Ownership of “Craft Distillers” Trademark

Dear Client: Last week, your editor attended the American Craft Distillers Association (ACDA) convention where one of the most talked about topics was the definition of "craft distilling," and what role it plays within the spirits industry. To add legal trouble to an already active identity crisis, Craft Distillers Inc. (CD), has trademarked the term "Craft Distillers" and they've filed a lawsuit in the US District Court of California against ACDA for infringement. BACKGROUND: In 1982 Ansley Coale and Hubert