U.S. brewing company MillerCoors has accused South Korea’s leading liquor maker Hite Jinro Co. of copying the logo of its beer brand Miller Lite.

MillerCoors filed a petition against Hite Jinro who had applied for trademark registration of its beer label Hite with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in February last year, according to industry sources on Sunday. The company announced in January this year that the trademark registration in the U.S. was almost completed.

MillerCoors is arguing that the logo design of the Korean beer brand Hite is similar to that of the company’s Lite, which could confuse consumers. If the U.S. patent agency rejects the registration or requests arbitration, it would hamper Hite Jinro’s efforts to expand its sales in the U.S. market.

“MillerCoors’ Lite logo uses font and design widely used by others,” said an official from Hite Jinro, adding that the company would work hard to protect the trademark.

Hite Jinro established a distribution center in Los Angeles in December 2017 to broaden its sales network across the U.S. and expand its customer base beyond Koreans living in the country to local Americans.

On Monday, shares of Hite Jinro fell 1.19 percent to close at 20,750 won.

By Lee Duk-joo and Choi Mira

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]