ONLY IN AMERICA DEPT.
Well, who would've thunk it. Heaven's Door Spirits is being accused of trademark infringement. The suit is being brought against Heaven's Door by another whiskey distiller, Kentucky-based Heaven Hill.
You can see photos of traditional-looking Heaven Hill here, and a review of one of their products here on Reddit.
Having myself spent three decades in marketing, involved in the naming process for several products in two different industries, I'm aware of the challenge companies come up against in creating names. One of the more important criteria, when names are similar, is the issue of confusion. In this particular instance, does the consumer accidentally buy Heaven's Door when they intended to purchase Heaven Hill?
I can't imagine Dylan fans being confused. The introduction of Heaven's Door last year was handled with such panache that it's produced a truly distinct image in the mind of the target consumer.
It's a good thing that no whiskey-maker is able to trademark the golden color of the fluid itself. When you serve it on the rocks, there would most assuredly be a bit of confusion.
I learned long ago that naming companies and products is different from naming books. When I published my young adult novel The Red Scorpion, it was only after I searched for it on Amazon that I discovered that their were nine other Red Scorpion books. Alas. Books can share the same name to infinity and beyond. Not so businesses.
As a marketing ploy, the lawsuit instantly puts Heaven Hill, a whiskey of which I was heretofore unaware, on the map. Then again, I'm not a whisky connoisseur. I'm evidently not the only one, however. In 2016, Tom Mazelin of The Whiskey Wash, who specializes in writing about products in this market, acknowledged that he himself was unaware of Heaven Hill when researching for his article Exploring the Bottom Shelf Bourbons Under $25.
As for brand confusion, here are the logos. Can you tell them apart?
As for the Heaven's Door lawsuit, here's the full story, albeit a bit short on details... Bob Dylan's whiskey company hit with trademark suit.
Meantime, we're on the road again...
You can see photos of traditional-looking Heaven Hill here, and a review of one of their products here on Reddit.
Having myself spent three decades in marketing, involved in the naming process for several products in two different industries, I'm aware of the challenge companies come up against in creating names. One of the more important criteria, when names are similar, is the issue of confusion. In this particular instance, does the consumer accidentally buy Heaven's Door when they intended to purchase Heaven Hill?
I can't imagine Dylan fans being confused. The introduction of Heaven's Door last year was handled with such panache that it's produced a truly distinct image in the mind of the target consumer.
It's a good thing that no whiskey-maker is able to trademark the golden color of the fluid itself. When you serve it on the rocks, there would most assuredly be a bit of confusion.
I learned long ago that naming companies and products is different from naming books. When I published my young adult novel The Red Scorpion, it was only after I searched for it on Amazon that I discovered that their were nine other Red Scorpion books. Alas. Books can share the same name to infinity and beyond. Not so businesses.
As a marketing ploy, the lawsuit instantly puts Heaven Hill, a whiskey of which I was heretofore unaware, on the map. Then again, I'm not a whisky connoisseur. I'm evidently not the only one, however. In 2016, Tom Mazelin of The Whiskey Wash, who specializes in writing about products in this market, acknowledged that he himself was unaware of Heaven Hill when researching for his article Exploring the Bottom Shelf Bourbons Under $25.
As for brand confusion, here are the logos. Can you tell them apart?
* * * *
In other whiskey news, here's breaking story. According to Jimmy Jim, only one bottle of this $85,000 whiskey exists on Earth.
As for the Heaven's Door lawsuit, here's the full story, albeit a bit short on details... Bob Dylan's whiskey company hit with trademark suit.
Meantime, we're on the road again...
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