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Conor McGregor withdraws plans for Notorious whiskey

Professional fighter Conor McGregor has withdrawn his trademark application for Irish whiskey brand Notorious after facing opposition from the founder of Carlow Brewing Company.

Conor McGregor will no longer be producing Irish whiskey under the name Notorious

McGregor announced the brand would be “coming soon” at a press conference following his boxing debut on 26 August 2017, where he held a glass of whiskey in one hand and a bottle of Notorious in the other.

However, Seamus O’Hara, founder of the County Carlow-based brewer, has owned the rights to a European trademark of the same name since 2016. The Irish beer producer launched Notorious Red IPA pale ale in 2016.

O’Hara owns the ‘Notorious’ trademark for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks across the continent and filed an opposition to McGregor’s application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in September last year.

The brewer opposed McGregor’s application on the grounds that it was “identical” to his trademark and would be used for similar goods. As such, there “exists a likelihood of confusion” and association between the two trademarks and the products they are used for.

The Irish boxer’s firm, McGregor Sports and Entertainment Limited, has now withdrawn the trademark application in a form dated 24 August 2018.

McGregor has been ordered to pay €600 (US$697) to O‘Hara for representation costs and opposition fee.

It would seem that McGregor still plans to move into Irish whiskey, according to a recent Instagram post depicting the sportsman at a distillery.

While the name is yet to be revealed, McGregor wrote: “We have the purest soil, with the freshest Irish spring water, and our golden Irish grain and malt is so golden.

“I respect Jameson, the current number one. But I am coming in strong. I am coming in passionate. I am coming to take over!

“Seventy-seven acres of un-matched Irish soil. Creating an un-matched Irish whiskey. We are producing nothing but liquid gold here.”

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