Thelonious Monk Licensing Dispute
Goes Avant-Garde

I liked the opening riff played by the estate of Thelonious Monk in its dispute with North Coast Brewing Co. over the merchandising of Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale. It had a simple, effective hook—we licensed the jazz legend's likeness to appear on a bottle of ale, but not on t-shirts, neon signs, playing cards and other merchandise. It was catchy enough to survive North Coast's motion to dismiss earlier this year.

But now that we're getting into the improvisational part of the litigation, i.e. discovery, the tune seems to be getting lost, and a new, unexpected soloist has appeared.