Mark IV Beverage, Inc. v. Molson Breweries USA, Inc.

TIMMONS-GOODSON, Judge.

Defendants appeal from a judgment, wherein the trial court concluded that the term “brand,” as used in the North Carolina Beer Franchise Law (hereinafter “BFL”), denotes a common identifying name, rather than a specific malt beverage. Defendants contend that the trial court’s interpretation contravenes well-settled canons of statutory construction. However, having carefully reviewed defendants’ assignments of error, we uphold the trial court’s interpretation. The pertinent facts follow.

In North Carolina, malt beverages are distributed and sold by means of a three-tier…