Columbian Beer Makers Fight for the Right to Rip Off The Simpsons
What started out as a novel idea has turned into a corporate tug of war, as two Columbian brothers are now deep in the trenches of a legal battle with 20th Century Fox for the right to brew beer inspired by the hit television series ‘The Simpsons.’
The original idea for the beer was a blatant rip-off of Homer Simpson’s infamous poison of choice, Duff Beer – right down to the same name. However, the company has since changed the name to DuH Beer and altered the look of the label by fudging the ffs to look like a capital H.
Alvaro and Oscar Ballesteros started producing an actual version of Duff Beer in 2006 before registering the trademark in 2008. They began distributing the following year.
“In 2009 we sold our first beers to bars in Bogota, and now we are in seven other Colombian cities, with a national production of 24,000 units a month,” said Alvaro Ballesteros.
Needles to say 20th Century Fox didn’t find any humor in the brothers’ new found business venture and sent in some hard-hitting corporate attorney to sue the boys for copyright infringement in Columbia.
So, what does 20th Century Fox want?
According to attorney Alicia Lloreda, they want DuH Beer removed from the market because the brand does not belong to them. Apparently, government regulators agree and have ordered the brothers to cease all production, distribution and sales of beer in Columbia.
However, the Ballesteros brothers are not taking it on the chin, as they too have hired an attorney and plan to appeal the decision and defend their right to rip-off ‘The Simpsons.’ The brothers insist they are not assuming, copying or taking advantage of 20th Century Fox’s brand “simply because they in reality do not have it. It appears only in cartoons, in a fictional world.”
While we would like to see things work out for these guys, we have a feeling that by the end of this thing they will be screaming “D’oh!”