Clase Azul Tequila Sues Travis Kelce-Backed Spirits Brand for Alleged Trademark Infringement

(Photo: Clase Azul)

Clase Azul — famous worldwide for its glitzy, club-friendly tequila decanters — is moving forward with a trademark infringement trial against an up-and-coming celebrity-backed spirits brand.

On Monday, a Houston federal judge heard the first arguments in a lawsuit against Casa Azul Spirits LLC. The suit, initially filed in September 2022, alleges that the tequila brand has caused undue confusion with “Clase Azul,” a different tequila brand that has retained its trademark since 2008.

However, circumstances have changed drastically since the suit was first filed, thanks in large part to the Internet’s favorite couple.

Casa Azul Tequila Soda. (Photo: Casa Azul Spirits LLC)

Casa Azul was brought to market in July 2022, at the time exclusively a tequila soda brand. In the months after, the company recruited a star-studded team of celebrity investors including PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, U.S. Women’s Open Champion Michelle Wie West, actress Eiza González, and most notably, NFL media darling Travis Kelce.

Kelce’s involvement eventually catapulted the brand to viral stardom. In October, Taylor Swift was photographed at a Kansas City Chiefs game conspicuously sipping a can of Casa Azul; expectedly, search interest on Google skyrocketed in the days and weeks after.

Taylor Swift watches the Kansas City Chiefs play the Denver Broncos during an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs defeated the Broncos 19-8. (Photo: Cooper Neill/AP)

Arturo Melli, founder of Clase Azul, is now arguing that consumers might easily confuse the two tequilas.

“When you order in a bar a Clase Azul, people are not seeing a bottle,” testified Lomeli in Texas Southern District Court. “I’m never going to have confusion saying what I want, but other people may have.”

Casa Azul Spirits has denied the trademark infringement accusations, claiming that “no reasonable consumer” would confuse Clase Azul with its canned tequila sodas or recently launched bottled tequilas.

Despite celebrity influence, the difference between the two brands is still night and day. Clase Azul Reposado — easily identified by its 17-inch blue-and-white bottle — was Drizly’s 4th best-selling spirit of 2023, beating out heavy hitters like Grey Goose Vodka, Don Julio 1942 and Jack Daniel’s Whiskey. Casa Azul is still in its infancy by comparison.

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