Sazerac loses BuzzBallz container patent case
MPL Brands, owner of ready-to-drink (RTD) product Big Sipz, has won a beverage container patent challenge against Sazerac-owned BuzzBallz.
US-based MPL Brands, which operates as Patco Brands, produces Big Sipz, a canned cocktail brand.
The company challenged its RTD competitor BuzzBallz claims to patents 11,738,904 and 11,932,441, which relate to the design of beverage containers.
After an inter partes review and a post-grant review, the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) ruled all 26 claims of BuzzBallz to the patents to be invalid.
In the rulings for both patents – dated 16 December 2025 for 11,738,904, and 17 November 2025 for 11,932,441 – the office concluded that the petitioner [MPL Brands] ‘demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that claims 1–6 of US Patent No. 11,738,904 B2 are unpatentable’ and ‘by a preponderance of the evidence that claims 1–20 of US Patent No. 11,932,441 B1 are unpatentable’.
Kelly Patane, chief legal officer of Patco Brands, said: “The PTAB’s decisions confirm that both patents BuzzBallz asserted against Patco Brands are invalid.
“These decisions represent important milestones for Patco Brands, reinforcing that our company acts appropriately and in compliance with intellectual property laws. We are confident that BuzzBallz’s claims should never have been brought.”
The Spirits Business has approached Sazerac for a comment.
As well as Big Sipz, Patco Brands’ drinks portfolio includes Rancho La Gloria Tequila, a flavoured American whiskey called Dough Ball and hard seltzer brand Miracle.
The Big Sipz brand offers wine-based cocktails with flavours such as Strawberry Margarita and Atomic Apple.
BuzzBallz, meanwhile, has recently debuted in the Indian market. The brand’s acquisition by Sazerac was completed in May 2024.
Sazerac is also involved in a trademark dispute with LIV Golf tour regarding its Fireball Cinnamon Whisky brand.
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