Bacardi’s International Trademark Row Passed on by High Court

Bacardi USA Inc.'s win in an international trademark dispute with a Lichtenstein beverage company was upheld after the US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the case.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in April ruled that Lodestar Anstalt had priority rights to use the trademark “Untamed” on rum products under the Madrid Protocol, an international trademark treaty. But the court found that Bacardi’s use of the word “Untameable” in a 2013 advertising campaign wouldn’t cause confusion with Lodestar’s mark.

In a precedential opinion, the Ninth Circuit established that the Madrid Protocol, which allows companies to ...