Citizens Brewing To Rename To “Denizens Brewing Co” DC Brau Cease & Desist Letter UPDATE: DC Brau Responds

From Citizens Brewing:

This weekend we received a surprise from DC Brau Brewing Company in the form of a Cease & Desist letter. We’ll take their threat of litigation as a compliment. They believe in our success just as much as we do! In order to focus on opening our doors in Summer 2014 and creating the best brewery we can for you, we’re changing our name and announcing the new moniker later today. We’re proud to be bringing craft beer to downtown Silver Spring no matter what name you call us!

From DC Brau:

WASHINGTON DC – DC Brau is proud to be a part of the ever-growing DC/MD/VA beer community, and is excited to continually see others realize their dream of opening breweries/brewpubs in this market. Our beer community is made stronger with new ideas and styles that introduce more and more people to good, local beer. We welcome this growth.

That said, we have worked very hard over the past three years to build DC Brau in the Mid-Atlantic region, with a significant investment in developing and marketing our flagship brews, including The Citizen for which we hold a trademark on the name when used in relation to beer.

When we heard about the Citizens Brewing Co. opening, we approached them about our concern about potential brand confusion within the market. We had hoped to address the situation without having to resort to any kind of legal action, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. We appreciate that they have decided to change their moniker, and wish them every success as they continue to work toward opening their brewery in 2014.

UPDATE From the Washington Post:

A planned Silver Spring brewery has changed its name after local brewery DC Brau stepped in to defend its branding of a beer with a similar name. Citizens Brewing Company will become Denizens Brewing Company after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from DC Brau, citing the potential for confusion between its beer, "The Citizen," and the new brewery.

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