Logo courtesy of Trigger Agency.
Summer festivals aren’t all fun and games.
A beef between two rival local festivals that tout barbecue, bourbon and beer has spilled into federal court, and one of the events was canceled.
Maryland-based Trigger Agency, an event promoter that puts on the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival held annually in Richmond, last month sued the Hanover Association of Businesses & Chamber of Commerce after it began planning a similar event.
Trigger’s suit claims the HABCC’s planned Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Show Down was deliberately using a name and description that was “confusingly similar” to its five-year-old event.
The association had also planned to hold its event in Ashland on this past Saturday, a week prior to Trigger’s festival. The suit claims that the association was allegedly trying to capitalize on the confusion.
Trigger claims trademark infringement, false advertising and unfair competitio. It is seeking damages.
Henry Spalding, an attorney with Sands Anderson representing the Hanover Chamber, said the group doesn’t think it has done anything wrong.
“At the same time we’re trying to work toward a settlement to get the case resolved,” he said.
Trigger’s move toward legal action seems to have done the trick.
HABCC’s Show Down was canceled, Spalding said. Any mention of it on the association’s websites has been removed. However, Spalding said the decision to cancel was made prior to the lawsuit being filed.
Trigger’s 19-page suit, which it filed April 30, is still pending. It asks for a court order to prevent HABCC from continuing to promote its event and wants the association to turn over any profits it has received from the ticket sales and other event-related revenue, plus an undisclosed amount of damages and legal fees.
Spalding would not say whether calling off the event will be enough to settle the suit or whether Trigger will want a financial resolution.
“That’s still to be worked out,” he said.
Greg Nivens, founder and president of the Trigger Agency, said in an email that the lawsuit has no effect on its upcoming festival, which will still be held Saturday at the Richmond Raceway Complex Exhibition Hall.
“I believe that the matter will be settled soon and I have no further comment,” Nivens said.
Logo courtesy of Trigger Agency.
Summer festivals aren’t all fun and games.
A beef between two rival local festivals that tout barbecue, bourbon and beer has spilled into federal court, and one of the events was canceled.
Maryland-based Trigger Agency, an event promoter that puts on the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival held annually in Richmond, last month sued the Hanover Association of Businesses & Chamber of Commerce after it began planning a similar event.
Trigger’s suit claims the HABCC’s planned Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Show Down was deliberately using a name and description that was “confusingly similar” to its five-year-old event.
The association had also planned to hold its event in Ashland on this past Saturday, a week prior to Trigger’s festival. The suit claims that the association was allegedly trying to capitalize on the confusion.
Trigger claims trademark infringement, false advertising and unfair competitio. It is seeking damages.
Henry Spalding, an attorney with Sands Anderson representing the Hanover Chamber, said the group doesn’t think it has done anything wrong.
“At the same time we’re trying to work toward a settlement to get the case resolved,” he said.
Trigger’s move toward legal action seems to have done the trick.
HABCC’s Show Down was canceled, Spalding said. Any mention of it on the association’s websites has been removed. However, Spalding said the decision to cancel was made prior to the lawsuit being filed.
Trigger’s 19-page suit, which it filed April 30, is still pending. It asks for a court order to prevent HABCC from continuing to promote its event and wants the association to turn over any profits it has received from the ticket sales and other event-related revenue, plus an undisclosed amount of damages and legal fees.
Spalding would not say whether calling off the event will be enough to settle the suit or whether Trigger will want a financial resolution.
“That’s still to be worked out,” he said.
Greg Nivens, founder and president of the Trigger Agency, said in an email that the lawsuit has no effect on its upcoming festival, which will still be held Saturday at the Richmond Raceway Complex Exhibition Hall.
“I believe that the matter will be settled soon and I have no further comment,” Nivens said.
Isn’t there enough Beer Bourbon and BBQ to go around? Good grief.
I hope Richmond BizSense will let us know when the HABCC reschedules their event. I’ll plan to sit out Mr. Nivens’ event now and in the future.
Beer, Barbeque, and Bourbon. Leave out any Lawyers and we got ourselves another Dream Team…
Seriously, a lawsuit over opportunities for people to get out and have fun. I suppose a lawsuit will now get going on the two Earth Day festivals that were held in Richmond on the same day! This is a waste of time and money and people will choose where they want to go regardless of “competition”
With the ” buying local” craze going on, it was not prudent for and out of state firm to start this ridiculous endeavor.
If this were a Karnac sketch, the slip of paper in the envelope would read: “What are three things worth fighting over?”