Melbourne’s Kaiju! Beer and New Zealand’s Behemoth Brewing have agreed to share the Behemoth trademark in Australia, reports Brews News.  

The resolution comes after a trademark dispute that had previously hindered Behemoth from operating under its original name since its launch in Australia in 2016.

In 2014, South East Brewing Company – which operates as Kaiju! Beer in Australia – trademarked the word “Behemoth”, and as a result, the New Zealand brewery had to trade under another name, choosing “Chur Brewing.”

However, following a recent relaunch, the two companies have reached a mutual understanding, with Chur set to rebrand as Behemoth Brewing Company, debuting at the upcoming GABS Festival in Melbourne.

While the conflict over the trademark has caused tensions, Behemoth Brewing CEO Andrew Childs said he wants to acknowledge that Kaiju! has always acted with dignity and respect throughout the process.

“Behemoth acknowledges they have said some things about Kaiju they regret and apologise for,” said Childs. 

“We look forward to playing nicely in the beer sandpit together for a long time.”

Kaiju CEO Callu Reeves told Brews News that while circumstances created rifts between the two breweries, the company is glad to finally co-exist in the same market. 

“Behemoth Brewing has big plans for Australia, and that would be very difficult if they had to trade under two different names,” said Reeves.

“It’s a great outcome for businesses and consumers,” concluded Reeves.

Behemoth was set to relaunch in Australia following a distribution deal with Kaddy in March. However, Kaddy’s recent move into voluntary administration has impacted those plans. 

Childs said that while his company managed to get its stock back from Kaddy in Melbourne, it is still working to retrieve its supply in Sydney.