BrewDog’s founders James Watt and Mark Dickie have change their first names to Elvis, following a continued legal battle with the late rock ‘n’ roller Presley’s estate.
James and Mark made the decision to change their birth names after they were hit by a lawsuit from the estate of “The King”, with them having been ordered to change the name of their “Elvis Juice” IPA. However, rather than complying with this legal demand, they have instead decided that the IPA will now be named after themselves rather than Presley, legally changing both of their names to Elvis and continuing to promote their alcoholic beverage by its original name.
Discussing their decision, James said: “We’re caught in a trap and suggest the grey-suited hound dogs at the Presley Estate recognise that the name Elvis is not exclusive. So in an effort to patch it up, we’ve changed our names to highlight our burning love for the best grapefruit IPA out there.
“From this point forward, Elvis Juice is named after us, the brewers formerly known as James and Martin. We may even file a case against Mr Presley for using our names on all his records without our written permission.”
Mark added: “We would like to recommend that the Presley Estate diverts its attention to another potential source of quick remuneration, a brewery that calls itself ‘The King’ of beer.”
We’re not entirely sure whether or not this stunt will help them overcome this battle with Elvis Presley’s estate, but if nothing else it’s certainly drawn a lot of attention to the Scottish brewing company. Founder in 2007, BrewDog now has nearly 50 bars and shops across the UK, with them having recently expanded to the US. Currently in the process of developing a production plant in the region, it’s uncertain how this battle with one of America’s greatest icons will go down with the US population, but they do say that there’s no such thing as bad press.
