Kim Willsher, The Guardian ; Yoko Ono trademark challenge leaves sour taste for John Lemon beer maker
"However, last month Picard received a letter from Ono’s lawyers ordering him to immediately stop using the name or he would face a fine for each day he refused.
“At first, I thought it was a fake, some kind of scam,” Picard told the Guardian. “It was only when I went online to check the lawyers really did exist [that I] found that there had been other cases, I wasn’t the only one to have used that pun, and that people had been penalised.
“The lawyers’ letter warned if I didn’t stop selling the beer, I could be ordered to pay €100,000 immediately, and another €1,500 every day until I stopped. That was really scary.”
He added: “We had no idea the trademark John Lemon had been registered, and anyway, we didn’t even think to check.”
Picard said he was surprised Ono would bother with such small beer.
“We’re only a tiny outfit, with me running it and two employees. I explained to the lawyers that we don’t sell in supermarkets. We deliver our bottles ourselves to bars and crêperies in our local area and asked if they would give me time to sell the bottles that had were already labelled.”
After an exchange of letters, the brewery has been allowed to sell its remaining stock of 5,000 bottles of John Lemon beer before 1 July."
