A South Korean inventor claimed Thursday that the bottle design of U.S.-based Miller Brewing Company's Miller Lite beer infringes on his patent registered here, and said he would take legal action against the global alcoholic beverage firm.
The inventor, who asked to be identified only by his surname Jung, said he acquired a patent on a bottle design, titled "A Bottle," from South Korean authorities in August 2009. Jung said that he has also applied for a patent in the United States and the process is under way.
His design has a spiral pattern engraved on the bottle neck to help slow down beer flow to avoid a sudden gush of beer.
Jung argues that his design is very similar to Miller Lite's so-called "Vortex Bottle", a design with grooves on the neck of the bottle that the company says create a vortex when the beer is poured.
Miller Brewing Korea, a South Korean unit of the U.S. beverage company, introduced the popular Miller Lite beer in the South Korean market around August last year, a year after Jung won the patent, according to industry sources.
Jung said that he contacted Miller and Owens Illinois Bottling Company, a U.S. container manufacturer that holds the patent on the Vortex Bottle.
"I've contacted lawyers of Miller and Owens to sell my patent rights as I thought the Vortex Bottle is similar to my invention.
But the connection was cut off after some talks," Jung said.
"Selling Miller Lite in South Korea definitely violates my patent. If they don't return to the table, I will file a lawsuit against Miller Korea, its headquarters and Owens."
Miller Korea said a patent dispute is totally up to its headquarters and Miller and Owens refused to comment further on the issue, citing the "pending legal dispute."
Miller Brewing Company is an American beer brewing company owned by the Britain-based SABMiller. SABMiller established MillerCoors in 2008, a joint venture to consolidate the production and distribution of its products in the U.S. (Yonhap News)
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