It’s a battle we never saw coming… The Tragically Hip takes on Mill Street Brewery over the phrase: “At The Hundredth Meridian.”
In a press release, the band explains why they’re suing:
100th Meridian Beer Has Nothing To Do With Us. We wanted you to know we just started a lawsuit against Mill Street Brewery over their 100th Meridian Amber Lager. Mill Street is a subsidiary of Labatt, which is owned by the large Belgian multinational brewer AB InBev. We wanted to make sure you heard it from us first. We all know “At The Hundredth Meridian” was Gord Downie’s idea, not Mill Street’s.
Many of you are probably under the impression that we are associated with Mill Street’s 100th Meridian beer – we are not. We knew there is some confusion out there, but we didn’t know how much until recently. It turns out that Mill Street Brewery has used our band name, our albums, and even Gord Downie’s picture on their social media in connection with their 100th Meridian beer. We weren’t happy that you, our fans, were being led to believe that by buying Mill St’s 100th Meridian Beer you were supporting us.
You know we have always been all about our fans. That’s why we make sure that everything we release, whether it’s music, merchandise, or beverages, is approved by us and made for you. Mill Street’s 100th Meridian beer is neither. We tried to sort it out with Mill Street for months but were unsuccessful. They didn’t take us seriously and were frankly disrespectful. We have been around for a long time, and have always been able to work things like this out without a lawsuit. Unfortunately, not this time. We took this step to clear up any confusion once and for all. We need you to know that you can always count on The Tragically Hip.
While I love the Hip, I’m not much a fan of this lawsuit. If the Hundredth Meridian was Gord Downie’s idea, surely he must have invented the town of Bobcaygeon too, no? (Sarcasm intended)
Despite that, the lawsuit does have some merit – as Mill Street actually used photos and albums of the Hip when promoting their beer, example below:
How do you think this one will play out? I often wonder if Gord would’ve cared if he was still with us today…
