Tragically Hip suing Toronto brewery

TORONTO

The Tragically Hip are suing a Toronto brewery for alleged trademark infringement in the promotion of its 100th Meridian lager.

The legendary Canadian band has filed a suit in Federal Court against Mill Street Brewery, a subsidiary of Labatt, which is owned by Belgian multinational brewer AB InBev.

The Tragically Hip allege in legal documents that Mill Street has tried to “pass off on the fame, goodwill and reputation” of the band.

“Many of you are probably under the impression that we are associated with Mill Street’s 100th Meridian beer — we are not,” the band said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Mill Street acknowledged receipt of the statement of claim on Wednesday.

“We are disappointed this step has been taken and are confident that the claim is without merit,” said Daryl Minor, general manager and president of Mill Street, who added that the brewer would not offer further comment.

“At The Hundredth Meridian” was a hit single on the Tragically Hip’s 1992 album “Fully Completely.” Its title refers to the line of longitude that marks the beginnings of the Great Plains.

Legal documents filed by the Tragically Hip on Tuesday allege that Mill Street tried to associate the 100th Meridian Lager with the band through misleading social media posts.

One example cited by the band shows a Facebook post by the Mill Street Brewery in Toronto that says 100th Meridian is “an appropriate beer to celebrate the Tragically Hip playing Yonge and Dundas Square” on Oct. 8, 2014 for an NHL season opener.