David Vs. Goliath: Alcohol-Free Brand Underdog Takes on Beer Giant Brewdog in Name Dispute
An alcohol-free brewery is taking on multinational beer producer Brewdog in a legal dispute over claims the larger firm copied its Shore Leave brand. (Photo: Brewdog)
In a clash between David and Goliath in the beverage industry, Jump Ship Brewing, a U.K. non-alcoholic brewery, is gearing up to challenge multinational brewing giant Brewdog over the alleged appropriation of its “Shore Leave” concept.
According to The Scottish Sun, Jump Ship Brewing Founder Sonja Mitchell contends that despite reaching out to Brewdog directly, the impasse has led her to seek legal recourse, aiming to safeguard her company’s substantial investments in the Shore Leave beer line —spanning inception, branding, packaging and distribution.
Jump Ship Brewing, Scotland’s pioneer in alcohol-free brewing, entered production in December 2019 with a maritime-themed beer collection. Mitchell’s creation, Shore Leave, debuted in 2022 and achieved recognition at the Scottish Beer Awards for two consecutive years. However, the situation escalated when Brewdog’s co-founder, James Watt, unveiled a beer by the same name, prompting Mitchell’s concern about potential customer confusion.
Furthermore, Brewdog’s Shore Leave product sported the tagline “Time to Jump Ship” upon its release, which was later dropped after the similarities to Mitchell’s brand were brought to attention.
“At the point where Brewdog launched its beer, Jump Ship was the only brewer in the U.K. market with a beer called Shore Leave in production,” Mitchell said, per the report. “The basis of our claim is that Brewdog’s actions cause a risk of confusion amongst our stockists and drinkers, and this causes financial harm to our brand.”
“This is a period of exciting and positive growth for Jump Ship, with growing sales in the U.K. and beyond, and this matter is one we’re keen to clear up.”
Despite not having trademarked Shore Leave, Jump Ship Brewing contends Brewdog did and is now pursuing legal action in London’s Intellectual Property Enterprise Court. Brewdog, holding the registered Shore Leave trademark, expressed surprise and disappointment, asserting it tried to settle the matter amicably. The multinational brewery claims Mitchell had ample time to contest its trademark but chose not to, and it offered collaboration opportunities to benefit both brands mutually.
“We even agreed not to use the phrase ‘Jump Ship’ in our advertising as a gesture of goodwill,” a spokesperson for Brewdog said, according to The Scottish Sun. “We’d much rather work with the industry than against it.”
“We regret Ms. Mitchell has decided to take this action instead of working collaboratively with us to help her business grow.”
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