Growing up on the East Coast in the 1970s the height of beer fantasies was the then-mythical Coors, which was only brewed and sold west of the Mississippi. A handful of national brands filled the local shelves but, with the exception of some locally available smaller brewers like Iron City in Pittsburgh, there was little beer choice.

Nearly 50 years later the craft beer revolution is in full swing and the landscape has changed. Hundreds of craft brewers have opened nationwide. The impact is no less significant in Florida. Dozens of craft beers are now made by quality brewers throughout the state—St. Petersburg (Cycle Brewing), Tequesta (Tequesta Brewing), Gainesville (Swamp Head Brewery), Wynwood (Wakefield Brewing, Wynwood Brewing), Dunedin (7venth Sun Brewing), Boynton Beach (Due South Brewing), Oakland Park (Funky Buddha), Doral (M.I.A. Brewing), Tampa (Cigar City Brewing) and many more. And like in Florida, hundreds of craft breweries have proliferated throughout the country.

However, with the popularity and growth of the craft beer business, the industry has run into a problem common to other industries—conflicting trademarks. A trademark is a word or combination of words, or a graphic design, or a combination of both, that is used to identify to the consumer the source and identity of a product. A trademark is important to consumers because it lets them know the quality, taste and other characteristics of what they are getting. It is important to the brand owner because it serves as a way for products to build consumer loyalty and goodwill. Colgate for toothpaste, Coca Cola for soft drinks and Apple for computers are all trademarks.