Sam Adams Brewhaha

Random — By DJ Spiess on October 26, 2007 at 2:08 pm

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Will the real Samuel Adams please stand up?

In a move that would make the Recording Institute of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) proud, Boston Beer, makers of Samuel Adams Lager, sent a “cease and desist” letter to a Portland, Oregon, radio station 1190 KEX demanding that they stop using the domain names http://www.mayorsamadams.com/ and http://www.samadamsformayor.com/. In the cease and desist letter they claimed that anything sold on these web pages would be confused with their beer brand, represented ironically by a American Patriot. The problem is that the web sites were for Portland, Oregon, City Commissioner Sam Adams – a real live person. The sites had nothing to do with the beer.

The ridiculous strong-arm letter is now being auctioned by the radio station. The winner will receive the letter and a free lunch with the radio station personalities and the real live Sam Adams.

The Boston Beer company claimed that they tried to resolve the problem by calling the registrant, but they could not find a number for Dave Anderson. 1190 KEX pointed out that looking at the whois registration, there was a working phone number listed – it’s so hard to read to the bottom of listings.

Of course the radio station jumped on the controversy and spread it all over the internet. People as far as Norway wrote in to voice their displeasure with Boston Beer. Russian news agencies, such as Pravada, covered the story.

Hopefully this will be the end to Boston Beer’s entry into Portland, Oregon politics!

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