Famed Australian brewer Coopers accuses Jim’s Mowing of ‘ripping off’ his famous green can Pale Ale with his own ‘Lawn Lager’
- Coopers has accused Jim’s Mowing of stealing his beer
- Sent a letter demanding that Jim stop mowing the lawn using the design
- You believe the design is ‘substantially similar’ to your own logo
Australian brewer Coopers has accused Jim’s Mowing of ripping off its beer design after launching its own pale ale.
The South Australia-based company sent a letter demanding that Jim’s Mowing stop using the design on its beer cans, which it launched last year.
The beer is a collaboration with Bondi Brewing.
Coopers, which has been in business since 1862, believes the design is “substantially similar” to its own logo.
Australian brewers Coopers (left) accused Jim’s Mowing (right) of ripping off their beer design after the franchise company released its own Pale Ale collaboration with Bondi Brewing.
In a letter seen by the herald sunCoopers risk legal manager Caitlin Rahkola wrote: “Coopers has concerns regarding the labeling, due to its substantial similarity to our Coopers logo and can design.”
‘We have a number of trademarks for the ’round’ device that appears on all of our can and bottle designs, including Original Pale Ale.’
They claim the design is ‘deceptively similar’ to the Pale Ale brand.
Their letter also says that they expect the matter to be resolved “amicably and without further action.”
Jim’s Mowing is one of Australia’s largest franchise chains, offering home maintenance and lawn mowing services across the country.
It was started by Jim Penman in 1982 when he started a landscaping business part-time while earning his PhD in history, eventually franchising the operation in 1989.
Jim’s Mowing has been contacted for comment.
Coopers was the fourth best-selling beer in Australia in 2022 and is one of the only major players in the industry to remain independent.
Many of Australia’s biggest beer brands are now owned by Asahi after it bought Carlton and United Breweries in 2019 for $16 billion.
Coopers was the fourth best-selling beer in Australia in 2022 and is one of the only major players in the industry to remain independent.
One hundred thousand jobs and over $15 billion depend on local brewing in Australia, despite the fact that most of the large local breweries are owned by foreign multinationals.
A ten-year report published in 2017 by DrinkWise found that Australians “are drinking less and underage drinking rates are declining.”
But beer still reigns narrowly as the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the country, surpassing wine by just 1 percent.
And it bucked the trend when it came to declining Australian manufacturing, with business predominantly remaining onshore.
“Major local brewers (CUB, Lion and Coopers) account for 79.4 percent of sales volume, independent brewers account for 3.4 percent of sales, and imports 16.2 percent,” Heffernan said. .
