Red Stripe label not misleading - US judge

A United States federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Diageo, the parent company of Red Stripe, misrepresented the beer as brewed in Jamaica.

Aaron Dumas and Eugene Buner had filed the lawsuit in the San Diego federal court, accusing Diageo of misleading the public by referring to its product as being Jamaican, though not brewed here.

However, late last month, the court said the "mere fact that the word 'Jamaica' and 'Jamaican' appear on the packaging is not sufficient to support a conclusion that consumers would be confused regarding the origin and ingredients of the beer".

Richard Byles, chairman of Desnoes and Geddes, brewers of Red Stripe Beer in Jamaica, said since the lawsuit was filed, Heineken NV has bought Jamaica's Red Stripe beer from Diageo.

"It was Diageo, the previous owners of Red Stripe, that was being sued, not Red Stripe," Byles said. "But, in my opinion, there was never really a strong case because the labelling on the bottle clearly states that it was bottled and brewed in the US."

Red Stripe production returns to Jamaica in September, Byles said.