In a circulated petition on Tuesday, Grupo Modelo, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, requested that the Second Circuit should reconsider a jury’s decision that its trademarks were not violated by Constellation Brands. The controversy sparks from Constellation Brands’ marketing of hard seltzer under Corona’s branding, which Grupo Modelo contends is not defined as beer under their mutual agreement.
The issue at stake involves an essential interpretation of the terms of their contract. According to Grupo Modelo, the jury was misled due to poor instructions, which led them to wrongly classify hard seltzer as beer. The current implications of this case could potentially reshape defining boundaries within the beverage industry, particularly in how such drinks are categorised contractually.
For further details on Grupo Modelo’s appeals and the legal implications of this potentially precedent-setting case, consider a visit to the original reporting on Law360.