Godzilla Co. Settles With Brewery Over MechaHopzilla Beer

June 4, 2014Article
Law360

Law360, New York (June 4, 2014, 3:48 PM EDT) -- Toho Co. Ltd., the owner of the intellectual property for Godzilla, reached a settlement Wednesday with a New Orleans brewery it sued for trademark infringement last year over a beer called MechaHopzilla.

Toho and the New Orleans Lager & Ale Brewing Co. LLC lodged a joint notice of the settlement, ending a lawsuit over an India Pale Ale that was clearly a play on Mechagodzilla, the name of the mechanized counterpart of the famed Japanese monster.

Under the terms of the settlement, NOLA Brewing will stop using the name and packaging at issue by the end of the year, according to attorneys for both sides. The case had been set for a jury trial in October.

Toho created the giant, prehistoric, radioactive monster for the debut “Godzilla” back in 1954, and introduced Mechagodzilla in the lucrative franchise's 14th film, “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.” The latest version, again simply “Godzilla,” debuted last month and has thus far grossed $375 million worldwide.

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