A WAR of the roses between two Yorkshire breweries was set to be fought out at the High Court in London this afternoon.
Tadcaster brewery Samuel Smith’s is suing microbrewery Cropton, from near Pickering, over its use of Yorkshire’s white rose in a fundraising drive for wounded servicemen.
Samuel Smith’s claims the rose device used on its Yorkshire Warrior beer labels is “confusingly similar” to the rose it has used as its trademark since the 1960s and is a trademark infringement.
However, Cropton claims the Yorkshire rose is a common symbol and Samuel Smith’s is not entitled to assert any kind of monopoly over its use.
Cropton has been selling the beer since 2008 after winning permission from the Yorkshire Regiment to feature its emblem - a lion carrying the standard of St George above a white rose - on labels and pump clips.
Most of the profits from the beer go to the regiment’s benevolent fund, which helps seriously-wounded soldiers returning from Afghanistan, and about £20,000 has been raised so far by Cropton.
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