I don’t care if it’s a day old. It’s still really funny. Courtesy of AllAboutJazz.com.

Pepsi Claims Jazz, Issues Cease and Desist

Published: April 1, 2008

By Jeff Fitzgerald, Genius

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PepsiCo, the world’s second largest soft drink company, has claimed trademark protection on the word “Jazz” and has issued cease and desist orders to anyone currently using the word other than in reference to their diet cola product of that name. Pepsi Jazz has been on the market since 2006, while the word “j—” goes back to around 1915, but PepsiCo was able to exploit a loophole in the burgeoning field of ridiculous intellectual property claims. “No one had trademarked the word,” said Pepsi spokesbastard Phil Clabbard, “so we took the opportunity to secure our brand property. We feel this will eliminate confusion that may be usurping our brand integrity and product recognition. From now on, when anyone says ‘Jazz,’ everyone will know they mean ‘Pepsi Jazz.’”

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Alright, in a BevBlog first, I have to disagree with my colleague, Matt Casey, and his post on the series “Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist” which features Clearly Canadian as an integral part of the show.

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Beverage industry veteran Mike Schott, 59, passed away yesterday, succumbing to an almost 2 year battle with brain cancer.

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Now that Glaceau is officially part of the Coca-Cola Company, Pepsi has taken its first shot at the popular brand of vitamin enhanced waters with a new TV commercial spot:

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We know a lot of consumers love Red Bull, but Samer Bader, 31, of Glen Ellyn, IL really loves Red Bull.  So much so, in fact, that on two separate occasions he hijacked two trucks filled with Red Bull.  He netted over 800 cases of the stuff.

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Not all rock stars like Rockstar, according to a recent AP report.

According to the story — which quickly got out onto the interwebs — Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has sued the the Rockstar energy drink company, claiming it wrongfully posting a photo of him holding a can of Rockstar on its Web site.

The mohawked, heavily tattooed Barker, made claims of invasion of privacy, unfair competition, and misappropriating his likeness to promote the product in his suit.

The lawsuit said the Rockstar website published a photo of Barker “holding a can of one of Rockstar’s beverages, and identifying him and his endorsement by name” without his consent, according to the AP.

A search of the Rockstar website found no reference to Barker; he and his wife, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, were recently photographed celebrating that company’s sponsorship of the X-Games, but we didn’t see that on the site, either.

But then again, so was this guy, and he ain’t suing.

Fortune just put out their 2007 “Dumbest Moments in Business” list.  Featuring 101 items, the list features only one beverage related “winner”: Cocaine Energy Drink.

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Back in the summer of 1996, I met Peter Van Stolk on the steps of the “Gourmet Garage”, a trendy grocery store in Manhattan’s SoHo district.  Decked out in black Jones attire, Peter had just finished an in-store sampling of the Jones CSD lineup and he was pretty pumped….No surprise for a guy who was always working some sort of creative angle to sell his product.  In this case, the then unique flavors, such as Strawberry Lime, sold well in this hip part of town (at least by my recollection). 

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dr. J. Robert Cade, who invented the sports drink Gatorade and launched a multibillion-dollar industry that the beverage continues to dominate, died Tuesday of kidney failure. He was 80.http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3130043

The story of The Switch is not a new one to anyone who has been in the beverage industry for the past few years.  The company started from relatively humble roots, raised money, and crashed to bankruptcy before a new team came in and snatched up the company’s assets.  It’s hardly a rosy tale of entrepreneurial success.

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