Over the years many members have advocated the need for protection of the BJCP branding and organization name. Internal efforts to apply never gained much traction, so the board ultimately decided to use the services of a recommended attorney who specializes in trademark issues within the beer, wine, and spirits industry: Christopherson Brew Law, www.brew.law
In October of 2021, the BJCP officially filed for trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to protect our intellectual property interests in the long-term. As of February 28, 2023 the organization was granted trademarks for the full name (Beer Judge Certification Program®), acronym (BJCP®), and logo.
We will begin implementing the trademark symbol (®) into our logos and elsewhere as appropriate in the near term.
We’d like to thank Joyce & Jay Hersh for their advocacy within the BJCP on this issue over the years, as well as Sandy Cockerham for her prior work on this issue.
If you have questions or comments about this topic, reach out to the Communications Director.