Budweiser Accused Of Illegally Using Official Tribal Logo & Slogan In Local Beer Ads
Budweiser Accused Of Illegally Using Official Tribal Logo & Slogan In Local Beer Ads
Consumerist
Ashlee Kieler
“Immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous”: those are the adjectives a Native American tribe in North Carolina chose in a recently filed lawsuit to describe Anheuser-Busch InBev’s use of the official tribal logo and slogan in a local ad campaign.
The Lumbee tribe of North Carolina filed a lawsuit against the beer behemoth in federal court this week, accusing the company and R.A. Jeffreys Distributing Company of illegally using its trademarked logo and “Heritage, Pride & Strength” slogan to peddle products at convenience stores in the state.
According to the lawsuit, the “blatant and ongoing” use of the logo and slogan in banners placed above beer coolers gives the false impression that there is an affiliation between the tribe, Anheuser-Busch, and the distributor.
“The lawsuit was filed because of the confusion and outrage created by advertisements for Budweiser and Bud Light,” the Lumbee Tribe says on its website.