06/08/2023
Actual first sentence of today’s US Supreme Court decision regarding the Jack Daniels whisky trademark:
This case is about dog toys and whiskey, two items seldom appearing in the same sentence.
In an unanimous 9-0 decision, Justice Kagan wrote:
Respondent VIP Products makes a squeaky, chewable dog toy designed to look like a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Though not entirely. On the toy, for example, the words “Jack Daniel’s” become “Bad Spaniels.” And the descriptive phrase “Old No. 7 Brand Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey” turns into “The Old No. 2 On Your Tennessee Carpet.” The jokes did not impress petitioner Jack Daniel’s Properties.
