MONEY

Sazerac drops lawsuit against Jack Daniel's

Bailey Loosemore
Louisville Courier Journal

Sazerac has dropped its lawsuit against Jack Daniel's, ending the fight over the latter company's use of the term "Fireball" in Google advertisements.

On Tuesday, a local attorney representing the plaintiffs – Sazerac Brands of Louisville and its parent company, Sazarac Company Inc. – said the case was settled out of court, a day before Jack Daniel's was required to respond to the suit.

The attorney, Scott Zoppoth, did not provide details of the settlement.

"All I can say is we were able to protect our trademarks, which is really what we wanted from the beginning," he said.

Following the settlement, Sazerac filed a motion with Louisville's District Court to voluntarily dismiss all claims. Because Jack Daniel's had not answered Sazerac's complaint nor filed a motion for summary judgment, a court order was not required to end the case, according to court documents.

Sazerac – the spirit maker behind the long-standing Fireball Cinnamon Whisky – filed the lawsuit Nov. 23, claiming Jack Daniel's use of the term "Fireball" in ads for its Tennessee Fire whiskey infringed upon Sazerac's trademark rights.

Sazerac had demanded that Jack Daniel's, a division of Louisville-based Brown-Forman, be enjoined from using the term in any of its marketing, distribution or sales.

In a written statement issued Tuesday, Brown-Forman Vice President Phil Lynch said his company was "pleased to have settled this dispute."

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at 502-582-4646 or bloosemore@courier-journal.com.

Jack Daniel's sued over 'Fireball' Google ads