Today a San Diego federal court ruled in favor of Stone Brewing in their contentious trademark battle with Molson Coors over their use of the word STONE on their Keystone Light brand beer. The lawsuit was filed 4 years ago and wrapped up a 3-week trial today overseen by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez and an eight-person jury. The proceedings captured industry observers attention this week ahead of closing arguments that ultimately ruled in favor of Stone and awarded them $57 million in damages. The lawsuit stems from the rebranded Keystone Light cans emphasizing the word “STONE” as if it was a standalone word from the “Key” and triggering some brand confusion according to Stone Brewing Co. Molson Coors sold more than $1.7 billion of Keystone beer branded as STONE. 

Stone Brewing is the nation’s 9th largest craft brewery, yet in 2020 it produced 347,000 barrels of beer, only 0.5% the volume of beer produced by Molson Coors. This underdog win is a victory for every craft brewery that prides itself in independence, valuing quality over all else.

“From the moment our team saw Keystone’s intentional theft of the STONE® trademark, we believed this day would come, explained Maria Stipp, Stone Brewing CEO. “We are committed to doing everything in our power to protect the incredible reputation of the Stone brand and the passionate team who built it. We’d like to thank the team at BraunHagey & Borden LLC for their representation of our case. They put their heart, souls and talent into it, and we couldn’t have asked for anything more than that.”

Stone Brewing Co-Founder Greg Koch added, “This is a historic day for Stone Brewing, and for the craft beer industry. MolsonCoors threatened our heritage, but we stood up to that threat. They will put the ‘Key’ back in ‘Keystone’ ending their hostile 4-year co-op of the Stone name. Cheers to our legions of fans, friends and supporters who believe in the good that craft beer brings. This is your win too.”  

Stone was represented by the law firm BraunHagey & Borden LLP, a litigation boutique based in San Francisco and New York.