[THE INVESTOR] US brewing giant MillerCoors has accused Korean beer brand Hite of copying its light pale lager Lite, in an apparent move to deter Hite Jinro’s growing presence in the US market.

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, MillerCoors recently filed a petition against Hite Jinro’s registration of a trademark in the US, which the South Korean beer company had applied for in February last year. The trademark registration process was almost completed earlier this year, according to authorities.

MillerCoors claims that the trademark registration should be rejected as Hite Jinro’s lager Hite copied MillerCoors’ logo, font, design and image as well as the pronunciation of its product’s name, which might confuse consumers.

Hite Jinro said that MillerCoors’ Lite uses a font that is already widely used, refuting its claims as groundless.

“To protect our trademark, we will continue to talk with the related authorities,” Hite Jinro said, adding that MillerCoors might have filed an objection with the intention of affecting Hite Jinro’s business in the US market.

In December last year, Hite Jinro established a distribution center in Los Angeles and extended its distribution channel in the US, shifting its main target from overseas Koreans to local Americans.

Its sales came to $23 million last year, an about 40 percent increase compared to three years ago.

By Kim Da-sol / The Korea Herald (ddd@heraldcorp.com)