Dark ‘n’ Sue Me   My friend Jacob Grier, who splits his time
between writing and tending bar, draws my attention to a brewing
(so to speak) conflict over the trademark for a mixed drinked
called the Dark and Stormy. Rum manufacturer Gosling has the
trademark on the term, and insists that it can only be used to
describe drinks containing Gosling’s own rum. They were none too
happy when a competitor, Zaya, started running ads in Imbibe
magazine urging bartenders to substitute Zaya’s rum when mixing
a Dark ‘n’ Stormy. Jacob’s take on this seems spot on:   One of
the interesting things about this dispute is how deeply confused
non-lawyers are about the various legal regimes commonly
described under the rubric of “intellectual property.” Jacob
also links to this article about trademarks in the bartending
business that’s a particularly egregious offender. The article
is talking about trademarks, but the author treats the terms
“patent,” “copyright,” and “trademark” as though there were
interchangeable. They’re not.