Walmart Sued for Trademark Infringement Over Tequila Ads

The owner of Tattoo Tequila Inc. sued Walmart Inc. in San Francisco federal court for allegedly using images of his tequila in advertisements despite not carrying the liquor in its stores.

John Atanasio created Tattoo Tequila, which he calls an award-winning, artisan-crafted, small-batch organic tequila brand. Atanasio registered a federal trademark covering the tequila’s skull logo.

According to the complaint, Walmart used images of Tattoo Tequila bottles in Halloween-themed ads on Facebook and its website without the company’s permission. The complaint also says Walmart features Tattoo Tequila in an ad on its website promoting a “signature drink,” but Walmart doesn’t ...