A ‘Wizard of Oz’ Trademark Forced a Maryland Brewery to Change the Name of its Flagship Beer

Rockville, Maryland, brewery 7 Locks has changed the name of its flagship beer, a rye pale ale formerly known as “Surrender Dorothy,” after multimedia giant Turner Entertainment deployed its legal team to defend a Wizard of Oz trademark like so many winged monkeys. Co-founder Keith Beutel tells Washington Post columnist John Kelly the brewery shortened the name of the beer to “Surrender” after Turner filed an opposition to a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that argued 7 Locks was deliberately causing confusion and attempting to profit of the iconic film starring Judy Garland. The original name of the beer was a reference to a graffitied phrase painted on a Beltway overpass with a view of Mormon Temple, which invites comparisons to the Royal Palace of Oz with dramatic, sharp spires. Ahead of Inauguration Day, 7 Locks also put out a special release of “Surrender Donald” cans.

7 Locks

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