The Boston Beer Co. v. Sam Adams for Mayor [1]

Sam Adams, the Portland City Commissioner, was considering running for mayor of Portland, Oregon. Two DJs from local news radio station 1190 KEX registered the domain names www.samadamsformayor.com [2] and www.mayorsamadams.com [3] because they were supporters of Adams and wanted him to run for mayor.

David Anderson, one of the DJs, received a cease-and-desist letter from The Boston Beer Company, manufacturer of Sam Adams beer. The letter noted Anderson's registration of the domain names and claimed that "the sale of any services or products under this name" would infringe and/or dilute the company's rights in its SAM ADAMS and SAMUEL ADAMS registered trademarks. It also suggested that Anderson could be held liable for violation of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.

In response, the radio station called The Boston Beer Company and explained the situation. A little over a week later, the Beer Company issued a press release [4] apologizing for the initial letter and stating that candidate Sam Adams has every right to use his own name.