Stubb’s Bar-be-que is one of the most recognizable music venues in Austin, Texas. The operational barbecue restaurant, which doubles as a high-profile music venue, recently found itself faced with a trademark lawsuit against the Baltimore-based McCormick & Co. and its Austin offshoot, One World Foods. One World, which sells its own line of Stubb’s barbecue sauces, rubs, and marinades, was acquired by McCormick & Co. in 2015 as part of a $100 million deal, and the lawsuit was filed shortly after its sale after Stubb’s expanded with additional restaurants in Austin not covered by the original oral license.
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Allegedly, the ongoing lawsuit has been highly contentious, with judge Sam Sparks noting, “The only meaningful message is that the parties do not like each other and are willing to pay incredible attorney’s fees rather than sitting down and working out a relatively simple solution that would conclude this case and allow both plaintiff’s and defendants’ businesses to continue in their profitable ways” back in December. Despite this animosity, on Thursday, a resolution was finally reached between the two feuding companies, with McCormick gaining exclusive rights to the Stubb’s trademark. As a result, the beloved music venue and restaurant will be changing its name, though no timeline for the changes has been announced. As Lou Reyes noted to The Statesman, “As a result of the sale of One World Foods in 2015, we will now begin a process of phasing out the name ‘Stubb’s. . . . While the name will change, it will still be the same owner/operator, same live music, same cold beer and great food for years and years to come.”
While no further details about the renaming process have been announced, as reported by Austin 360, documents indicate that Stubb’s may be changing its name to “Liberty Lunch,” after a well-loved Austin venue that closed in 1999.
[H/T Consequence of Sound; Photo NPR]