Brewdog and Aldi poke fun, not lawsuits, at one another
Phase 1: Brewdog makes Punk IPA
- Brendan Palfreyman Esq. (@B_Palfreyman) August 20, 2020
Phase 2: Aldi makes Establishment IPA
Phase 3: Brewdog makes Yaldi IPA
Phase 4: ? pic.twitter.com/zvq5FKBMzs
No stranger to IP gaffes, Brewdog brewery reacted perfectly to Aldi's clearly humorous broadsides. How will Aldi respond? Takes a few weeks to brew a new beer...
Yeah, this is actually happening. Consider the back and forth here for a moment. Brewdog makes a Punk IPA in a blue can. Aldi decides to release a Establishment IPA in a blue can, one that harkens specifically to Brewdog's. Rather than go full IP lawyer-rage, Brewdog takes the whole thing in stride and announces the release of an IPA called Yaldi, which mimicks Aldi's branding. The whole thing is enough to make an IP maximilist keel over and die from an embolism.
And, yet, no trademark threats. The only mention of a cease and desist comes from a third party that has a Yaldi brand beer. Aldi never gets in on the threats. Instead, the game continues.
It is like a rap battle but for advertising. I enjoyed Mini Cooper vs Porsche a few years back, and the Porsche response video was wonderful but no longer appears online.