March 19, 2026
A Georgia federal judge sent to trial a long-running dispute over the ownership of Atlanta-based Sweetwater Brewing's leaping trout logo after ruling Thursday that she couldn't yet sort out "a case so centrally rooted in the conflicting testimony" of the designer and the brewery's former owner.
January 30, 2026
SweetWater Brewing Co.'s chief executive officer asked a Georgia federal judge for an early win Friday in a copyright suit brought by the creator of the company's trout logo, taking aim at the claim that SweetWater could only use the artwork as long as the CEO remained the brewery's owner.
September 15, 2023
SweetWater Brewing Co. can't shake a $31 million copyright infringement suit by the creator of its trout logos, a Georgia federal judge ruled Friday, saying the graphic designer has plausibly alleged his fraud and breach of oral contract claims under Peach State law.
October 20, 2022
Apple will argue next week at the Eleventh Circuit that a judge wrongly held that a startup's "virtual" version of Apple's iPhone to detect bugs is covered by copyright law's fair use doctrine, a fight that digital rights groups are closely watching. Here's a look at that case — plus all the other major intellectual property matters on deck in the coming week.
May 25, 2022
The creator of SweetWater Brewing Co.'s trout logos, who asked for $31 million to be held in a trust while his content ownership rights are litigated, has pushed back against the company's claim that it bought the artwork 26 years ago for $500.