A Surrey-based brewery has started legal action against one of the largest players in the drinks industry.
Hogs Back Brewery, a small craft brewery operating from Tongham in Surrey, claims that Magners has infringed a trademark for its Hazy Hog cider.
The company said that it had contacted Magners regarding the similarities between the product name and graphics it used for one of its own products – Cider Hog (a portable cider dispenser).
In a statement, Magners said it did not believe there was any possibility of consumers being confused between the two products and the company reportedly went on to say that it was confident of being able to defend against the trademark infringement claim.
Magners has also made it clear that it hopes to settle the dispute with Hogs Back Brewery without any further legal intervention.
The C&C Group, which owns Magners, made a statement regarding the product dispute, making it clear that: “One is a drink and the other one is a dispenser and there is no similarity in design.”
The Hogs Back Brewery launched Hazy Hog in March 2013, while Cider Hog was launched by Magners 15 months later.
The family-owned craft brewery said it had tried to find a solution to the issue over the past six months, but no agreement had been reached.
A spokesperson for Hogs Back Brewery said: “Regrettably, we have turned to court proceedings, but still hope that discussions may generate an acceptable resolution.”