April 2002 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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Heinekin USA plays Goliath against indie Red Star 25 April 2002
But the name of Thau’s label, although protected under Common Law Rights in the US, was not formally trademarked—leaving him open to legal strong-arming by a large corporation wanting to steal the name... such as beer manufacturer/distributor Heinekin. Last October, Heinekin US (a subsidiary of Heinekin in the Netherlands) signed a deal with Epic Records—a major owned by Sony, one of the so-called Big Five labels—to launch their own Red Star records imprint, ignoring Thau’s claim on the name. The impact is already measurable: a Website search today using Google for the phrase 'red star records' puts a story about the Heinekin label as the top hit. Heinekin’s move was part of an effort to increase their penetration among black drinkers under the guise of performing a public service. Their 'Red Star Sounds' series (brazenly named Red Star Records until Thau’s lawyer sent them a friendly note) features albums by mostly black (or, in marketing-speak, 'urban') artists, with some proceeds benefiting the public-school Save The Music charity. Heinekin US not only insists on keeping the Red Star name, but is attempting to trademark it. If successful, they’ll have more claim to 'Red Star' than does Thau. Thau is fighting back, and plans to see their trademark application overturned. Stay tuned... and purchase your beer wisely. | Red Star Records catalog from Forced Exposure | | article on Cursor.org | | Heinekin's Red Star info | | top of page | |
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