Ravinia Brewing To Drop Name Of Neighborhood To Settle Ravinia Festival Trademark Lawsuit

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Feeling the pressure from prolonged litigation against the well-resourced Ravinia Festival Association, the owners of the Ravinia Brewing Company have agreed to rebrand their business and abandon the name of the neighborhood they share with the heavily clouted nonprofit.

A deal disclosed late Friday will resolve an ongoing federal trademark dispute that threatened to put the microbrewery out of business since attorneys for the music festival filed it in October 2023.

In a joint statement, Ravinia Festival and Ravinia Brewing Company representatives announced that they have come to a settlement agreement.

"After considerable discussions, we’ve reached a mutual agreement that puts our disputes behind us and enables us to both move forward," they said. "The agreement affirms Ravinia [Festival Association]’s trademarks and provides that Ravinia Brewing Company will announce a name change and a new brand, with Ravinia [Festival Association] providing assistance during the transition."

The trademark dispute between the brewing company and music festival began prior to the 2018 opening of the 582 Roger Williams Ave. brewpub. Festival representatives first demanded a per-beer royalty and ownership of the brewery's brand, but following public pressure, came to an agreement with the brewery's owners.

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For the next several years, the two uses of the Ravinia name appeared to harmoniously coexist.

But following leadership changes at Ravinia and continued expansion by the brewing company, the association rescinded the 2018 agreement last summer ahead of its trademark suit.

In the legal dispute that followed, the brewery filed counterclaims against the festival's federal case and lodged an abortive request to a Cook County judge to enforce the rescinded agreement.

In January, owners of the brewery pleaded for support from the public, warning that they were at risk of "unjustly losing the business we have worked so hard to create," co-owner Kris Walker said in the description of an online fundraiser.

"Ravinia Brewing has zero desire, and frankly limited funds for a protracted lawsuit, but the actions of the Festival to date is leaving us no choice," Walker said.

"While we are confident that the facts and rule of law are on our side, the facts and law don't often matter if you don't have the financial means to fight," he added. "It is no secret that the hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic and unprecedented inflation, leading to more than 35 closures of breweries in Illinois over the last 12 months. "

In May, attorneys for the festival filed an amended version of the suit to include Delaware-based Ravinia Brewing IP LLC as an additional defendant, and the brewery's lawyers responded with fresh motions to dismiss the case in June.

At a hearing later that month, U.S. District Judge Manish Shah granted the festival's motion to dismiss the counterclaim that accused it of fraudulently obtaining its trademark on use of Ravinia in the context of food and beverage services by pointing out how many other well-known area business were able to use the name without confusing consumers.

The name Ravinia comes from a village in the area that was developed in the 1870s and annexed into Highland Park just before the turn of the 20th century.

Ravinia Park was originally founded in 1904 as an amusement park by the then-operator of the nearby railroad. A group of wealthy North Shore residents picked up the property out of bankruptcy in 1910 and the association was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1936, the same year the Chicago Symphony Orchestra began doing a summer residency there. It now hosts the nation's longest-running outdoor music series.

At a status hearing in August, Shah instructed both parties to continue to meet with one another.

The next day, attorneys for the brewing company filed replies in support of their motion to dismiss the music festival's amended complaint.

"Festival’s entire case is premised upon conclusory assertions that both Festival and Brewing offer 'similar' goods and services. But how so?" it said. "The only facts alleged are to the effect that Ravinia Festival is long-standing and well-known for its classical musical offerings at Ravinia Park, whereas Brewing is a 'small, beer-focused' brewery and restaurant that sells food and offers live music performances at one of its venues."

A representative of the music festival did not respond to an inquiry regarding the settlement agreement.

No timeline for the brewing company's name change has yet been announced, no settlement stipulation has yet been filed in the court record, and it is not clear what kind of "assistance" the festival will provide the brewing company with the name change.

But according to the joint statement from Ravinia Festival Association and Ravinia Brewing Company, the latest deal marks the end of their trademark dispute.

"While arriving at this resolution has taken time, we are grateful to have been able to resolve our differences in a way that respects both of our interests," it said. "We look forward to pursuing our respective paths forward and focusing our efforts on our shared commitment to the community.

Earlier: Ravinia Brewing Company Fights To Keep Name, Looks To Dismiss Ravinia Festival Lawsuit