A trademark dispute between Caribou Brewmasters Inc. and Pacific Western Brewery has been withdrawn from the Federal Court of Canada.
The case was dismissed by consent in early February, roughly 2 1/2 years after it was first filed in the venue.
The two have been at odds since June 2011 when Caribou Brewmasters filed a notice of claim in B.C. Supreme Court in which it contended the logo and brand for PWB's Cariboo Brewing line of beers is superseded by its own trade name and logo.
The logo for Caribou Brewmasters, a Prince George-based brew-on-premises beer and wine-making service provider, is a green and gold coloured beer mug and wine glass bordered by barley, hops and grapes.
Caribou Brewmasters further claimed it has been using that logo since 1993 and has developed a distinctive reputation in central and northern B.C. over that time.
PWB's logo, in turn, has "caused actual confusion" amongst customers, according to Caribou Brewmasters, which claimed in its notice to the B.C. Supreme Court it has suffered loss of profit and goodwill. It was seeking damages, an injunction against further use of the branding, and destruction of all related material.
PWB has denied Caribou Brewmasters' assertions, arguing that it has an earlier claim to the name through a predecessor, Cariboo Brewing, that was founded near Prince George in 1957 and, following a number of ownership changes, was acquired by PWB in 1991.
The matter was then taken to the Federal Court in August 2013 while a trial that had been scheduled for B.C. Supreme Court was adjourned generally.
The case before the Federal Court was "dismissed with prejudice and without costs" on Feb. 1 according to a notice. A hearing of the application in Federal Court had been scheduled for Feb. 3.
Representatives from Caribou Brewmasters and Pacific Western Brewery have declined to comment on the latest development.
