Guns N’ Roses Settles Trademark Dispute with Makers of Guns N’ Rosé

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For too long, trademark disputes have torn this great country asunder. Who could forget the vicious Kylie v. Kylie wars? Well, at least one pair of trademark warriors have laid down their arms. Guns N’ Roses has settled with Oskar Blues Brewery (a.k.a. Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective) over the latter’s Guns N’ Rosé beer. I don’t know which to be more mad about: that Canarchy didn’t clear use of the Guns N’ Roses brand with Axl et al., or that Guns N’ Rosé isn’t a rosé wine. Just as well, since spiked seltzer has dethroned rosé and the aperol spritz as the cliché drink of summer. The band filed a federal lawsuit against the Canarchists in May, and agreed to settle the dispute and drop the suit July 31.

Guns N’ Roses formed from the merger of two bands/brands: LA Guns and Hollywood Rose. According to the original complaint, the band has licensed their name for bandannas and wine glasses, among other things. Glasses of rosé wine can be seen in their opus, the 1992 video for “November Rain.” Billboard points out that the rosé ale was advertised as “crisp AF,” and a review on Beer Advocate claims it “Goes well with crabs.”