Mary Dowling Whiskey Drops Trademark Lawsuit Against Texas Distillery
(Photo: David Morrow/The Daily Pour)
A Kentucky bourbon company named for pioneering distiller Mary Dowling has dropped its trademark lawsuit against a Texas whiskey company, ending a legal dispute over the use of the Dowling name just two months after it began, Bloomberg Law reported Tuesday.
Mary Dowling Whiskey Co. filed a notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice on Thursday, according to court records, ending its case against Dowling Distilling Corp. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
The Kentucky company had sued Dowling Distilling in June, arguing that the Texas company’s use of its name was likely to confuse consumers with Mary Dowling Whiskey’s existing trademarks.
Mary Dowling Whiskey has registered the word marks “Dowling,” “Mary Dowling” and “Dowling Brothers,” along with several Dowling Brothers logos, for distilled spirits. The registrations date to 2019 and claim first use of the branding that year.
Dowling Distilling Corp. was incorporated in 2023, according to the original lawsuit. The Texas company is named for its founders, Nick and Steve Dowling.
Dowling Distilling did not file a response in the case before the lawsuit was dismissed, according to Bloomberg Law. Neither the company nor counsel for Mary Dowling Whiskey immediately provided an explanation for the dismissal.
The dismissal with prejudice means Mary Dowling Whiskey cannot simply bring the same trademark claim against Dowling Distilling again.
The lawsuit was filed nearly two months ago after Mary Dowling Whiskey argued that the “Dowling Distilling” trademark could create confusion in the spirits market.
Mary Dowling Whiskey takes its name from Mary Dowling, a Kentucky distiller who operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is associated with the historic Dowling Brothers whiskey brand. The company has built its modern brand around her legacy as a pioneering woman in the bourbon industry.
The trademark dispute was the latest example of whiskey companies protecting names in an increasingly crowded spirits market, where similar brand names can create potential conflicts over consumer confusion and trademark rights.
With the dismissal, however, the dispute between the two companies is over for now.
The case is Mary Dowling Whiskey Co. v. Dowling Distilling Corp., in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
Mary Dowling Whiskey Co. was founded in 2023 by Rabbit Hole Distillery founder Kevin Zamanian.
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