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Duff Beer is a brand of
beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
that originated as a fictional beverage on the
animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...
''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. Beers using the Duff branding have been brewed in a number of countries, resulting in legal battles with varying results. An official version of the beer is sold in three variations near
the Simpsons Ride ''The Simpsons'' Ride is a motion simulator ride located in the Springfield areas of both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood. Based on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', the ride was announced in 2007 as a r ...
at
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
. In 2015,
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
, producer of ''The Simpsons'', began selling licensed Duff beer in Chile, with a view to driving out
brandjacking Brandjacking is an activity whereby someone acquires or otherwise assumes the online identity of another entity for the purposes of acquiring that person's or business's brand equity. The term combines the notions of 'branding' and 'wikt:hijacking, ...
. In 2016, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' included Duff Beer in a list of the most influential fictional companies of all time.


Duff in ''The Simpsons''

Duff is
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
's beer of choice. It is a parody of stereotypical mass-market
American lager American lager or North American lager is pale lager that is produced in the United States. The pale lager-style beer originated in Europe in the mid-19th century, and moved to the US with German American, German immigrants. As a general trend ou ...
: cheap, poor-quality, and heavily marketed everywhere. The beer's slogan is "Can't Get Enough of That Wonderful Duff", though there are others. In the season four episode, "
Duffless "Duffless" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 18, 1993. After getting arrested for drunk driving, Homer ...
", parking lot signs at the Duff brewery have the slogans "It's Always Time For Duff" and "Now Leaving Duff Country". In the first season episode, "
Homer's Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...
", Duff is described as "The beer that makes the days fly by". Their spokesperson is
Duffman Barry Huffman, more commonly known by his work name Duffman, is a character on the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is the mascot and chief spokesperson for Duff Beer. It has been referenced, however, that the corporate mascot "Duffman" has ...
, a parody of
Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...
's 1970s-era mascot
Bud Man Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple gl ...
. He is a muscular, bleach-blond, well-tanned man with whitened teeth who wears a blue leotard and cape, red Duff Beer ballcap, mirror sunglasses, and a utility belt full of cans of Duff Beer. He speaks in a loud and overly-enthusiastic staccato voice (like a radio DJ or beer commercial pitchman) and does a lot of exaggerated physical movements like a male exotic dancer - like dancing in place, groin-thrusting, hip shaking, and rubbing his buttocks with a towel. There are apparently many identical Duffmen; however, like mall Santas they never appear at the same place at the same time (so as to not disillusion the kids). One retired Duffman in
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship of alcoholics dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually-inclined Twelve Step program. Following its Twelve Traditions, AA is non-professi ...
referred to himself as "Barry Duffman", indicating that he had to assume the identity of Duffman as part of the job. Some of the actors who play him have actually died (presumably from alcohol-related causes); their demise was never acknowledged because the character of Duffman is unaging and immortal. At public appearances he is often flanked by a random pair of beautiful, scantily-clad women who act as arm-candy, backup dancers, and assistants. While Duff Beer comes in several varieties, it is revealed on a Duff Brewery tour in "
Duffless "Duffless" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 18, 1993. After getting arrested for drunk driving, Homer ...
" that regular Duff, Duff Light, and Duff Dry are the same beer, although Homer and
Barney Barney may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barney (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Barney (surname), a list of people Film and television * the title character of ''Barney & Friends'', an American live actio ...
apparently remain oblivious to the fact. A tasting room contains Duff Dark beer and Duff Gummy Beers candy; it also contains several varieties that Barney stated they had not tried yet, including "Raspberry Duff", "Lady Duff" and "Tartar Control Duff". In "
A Tree Grows in Springfield A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes' ...
", Homer asks for Moe's best beer, so Moe gives him a Duff Adequate. In "
The Great Louse Detective "The Great Louse Detective" is the sixth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 15, 2002. In the episode, the Simpson f ...
", Duffman claims that Duff Stout is "the beer that made
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
famous". In "
Homer the Moe "Homer the Moe" is the third episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox Network in the United States on November 18, 2001. In the episode, Moe, following the advice of ...
", Moe sells "Malaysian Duff", which is made with
soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...
at his trendy bar. In "
The Springfield Files "The Springfield Files" is the tenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 12, 1997. In the episode, Homer believes he has d ...
", Moe offers Homer a bottle of "Düff"—a variant allegedly from
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, but is actually just a normal bottle of Duff with an
accent mark A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacriti ...
drawn over the U with marker ( ). In " The War of Art", Homer offers
Kirk Van Houten The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...
a "Canadian Duff", which is labeled as "Le Duff Beer avec
Codeine Codeine is an opiate and prodrug of morphine mainly used to treat pain, coughing, and diarrhea. It is also commonly used as a recreational drug. It is found naturally in the sap of the opium poppy, ''Papaver somniferum''. It is typically use ...
", and has a picture of Duffman in a
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
uniform saying his catch phrase in both English (''Oh Yeah!'') and French (''Mais Oui!''). In "
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" ( English translation: "Burns Sell the Power Plant" sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''_is_the_eleventh_episode_of_the_The_Simpsons_(season_3).html" ;"title="sic">'sic''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''" ...
", Homer celebrates a recent minor stock windfall by ordering a bottle of Henry K. Duff's Private Reserve, which is implied to be more costly and of better quality, and which is an apparent spoof of Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve, as well as alluding to Hendrik Doeff, the Dutch commissioner of the
Dejima , in the 17th century also called Tsukishima ( 築島, "built island"), was an artificial island off Nagasaki, Japan that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570–1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641–1854). For 220 years, it ...
trading outpost, who first introduced beer to Japan. In the season 21 episode " To Surveil With Love", Duffman makes a giveaway of Duff advertising in Moe's bar while "
Get Ready For This "Get Ready for This" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch music group 2 Unlimited. It was released in 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, '' Get Ready!'' (1992). Originally, the single was produced as an instrumental, titled the "Orc ...
" by
2 Unlimited 2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the a ...
plays on the background, suggesting this might be the theme song for the beer brand or for the character. Fudd, a competitor to Duff, appears in the episodes "
Colonel Homer "Colonel Homer" is the twentieth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 26, 1992. In the episode, Homer and Marge quarrel afte ...
" and "
Lemon of Troy "Lemon of Troy" is the twenty-fourth and penultimate episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 14, 1995.. In the episode, the childre ...
", the latter showing it being enjoyed by residents of Shelbyville, rival town to the Simpsons' home of
Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...
. Consumption of Fudd however is alleged by bartender Moe Szyslak to have made hillbillies go blind.


Duff Gardens

In "
Selma's Choice "Selma's Choice" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 21, 1993. In the episode, Selma decides to have a b ...
",
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barthol ...
and
Lisa Simpson Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. She is the middle child and most accomplished of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa was born as a character in ''The Tracey Ullman Sh ...
travel with their aunt
Selma Selma may refer to: Places *Selma, Algeria *Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada *Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons United States: *Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches *Selma, Arkansas *Selma, Cali ...
to Duff Gardens, a parody of the
Busch Gardens Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The original park is in Tampa, Florida, and the second park is in Williamsburg, Virginia. There were also previously B ...
amusement park, but also containing elements of
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
. In the gift shop, Bart spots "
beer goggles The term "Beer Goggles" is the phenomenon that people find other people more attractive after having had a few drinks. The term is especially used for people who, when one is sober, will otherwise not be found as relatively attractive or attractive ...
", spectacles that mimic what drunks see: they make Aunt Selma appear young, feminine, and beautiful to Bart - and also, somehow, alter her voice. Later, they see the
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
s of Duff Beer, the Seven Duffs (a parody of ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...
'')—Sleazy, Queasy, Surly, Edgy, Tipsy, Dizzy, and Remorseful. In the same episode, there is also a direct
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
of the "
It's a Small World "It's a Small World" is a water-based boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California; Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida; Tokyo D ...
" attraction at
Disney parks Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...
. In the cartoon, the boats float on a brown liquid as
animatronic Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...
children sing "Duff beer for me, Duff beer for you, I'll have a Duff, You have one, too," over and over again. Lisa drinks the liquid in the ride on a dare from Bart, and she freaks out from its
hallucinogenic Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...
properties. Other Duff Gardens attractions include the
Beeramid Beeramid may refer to: *Beer can pyramid, a pyramid made of empty cans of beer * Beeramid (Comic), a comic in The Daily Cardinal ''The Daily Cardinal'' is a student newspaper that serves the University of Wisconsin–Madison community. One of the ...
, the Beerquarium ("Home of the world's happiest fish"), the Beer Hall of Presidents, the Washing Machine ride, the Whiplash rollercoaster, singing group Hooray for Everything (who sing a politically correct version of
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
's " Walk on the Wild Side" and are based on
Up with People Up with People (UWP) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Up with People stages song and dance performances promoting themes such as multiculturalism, racial equality, and positive thinking. History Archives The UWP Archives i ...
), and a direct parody of Disneyland's
Main Street Electrical Parade The ''Main Street Electrical Parade'' is a nighttime parade, created by Robert Jani and project director Ron Miziker. It features floats and live performers covered in over 600,000 electronically controlled LED lights, and uses a synchronized ...
.


Creation

There has been speculation that the name was inspired by one-syllable beer names in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(such as "
Bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spec ...
"), and ''The Simpsons writers had found the name humorous. However, longtime Simpsons animator, producer, and director David Silverman stated in 2012 that Groening named the beer "Duff" simply for the convenient rhyme in the slogan "Can't Get Enough of that Wonderful Duff". In 2018, writer/producer
Mike Reiss Michael L. Reiss ( '; born ) is an American television comedy writer and author. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series ''The Simpsons'' and co-created the animated series ''The Critic''. He created and wrote ...
stated
Jay Kogen Jay Kogen is an American comedy writer, producer, actor and director. Biography He was born to a Jewish family. His father is comedy writer Arnie Kogen. In 2001, Kogen had a son, Charlie, who is now a musician. Career Kogen co-wrote several ep ...
came up with the name. In an excerpt from his autobiography,
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
bassist
Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...
claimed that the beer was named after him as the writers were fans of the band and he was known for his extreme alcohol consumption and was popularly called "The King of Beers". This is a claim ''Simpsons'' creator Matt Groening has called "absurd". In response McKagan has stated that he thought it was common knowledge and uncontroversial that he was the origin of the name, and jokingly called assertions to the contrary "absurd." Reiss again denied the connection in 2018, stating, "No, it was ''not'' named after Duff McKagan ... We'd never heard of this guy. Have you? ... It's a cute fake story that McKagan tells."
Moe's Tavern Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an indeterminate state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundi ...
is a very close recreation of a tavern that was a block from the University of Oregon when Groening was there, called Duffy's.


Real Duff beers

Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
has stated that he will not license the Duff trademark to brew an actual beer, over concern that it would encourage children to drink. However, there have been a few notable cases of individual companies and persons who have used the term "Duff Beer" with varying success.


United States

Bilbo's pizza and brewery in
Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
also brewed their own form of Duff beer, which had a Homer Simpson tap handle to complete the reference. On June 1, 2013,
Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida (also known as Universal Studios or USF) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990 ...
began offering officially-licensed Duff Beer in their expanded
Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...
area at a replica of Moe's Tavern and a waterfront Duff Brewery.


Germany

In
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
the Eschweger Klosterbrauerei, a brewery in
Hessen Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darm ...
, brewed a Duff Beer under the German
Reinheitsgebot The ''Reinheitsgebot'' (, literally "purity order") is a series of regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany and the states of the former Holy Roman Empire. The best known version of the law was adopted in Bavaria in 1516 (by Will ...
, under contract for Duff Beer UG. It was distributed in many European countries, and in Australia from 2011.


European Trademark

Duff Beer UG applied for an EU
Community Trade Mark A European Union trade mark or EU trade mark (abbreviated EUTM; named ''Community Trade Mark'' (''CTM'') until 23 March 2016) is a trade mark which is pending registration or has been registered in the European Union as a whole (rather than on a na ...
(CTM) in 2009, which was opposed by Twentieth Century Fox. In 2011 the
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO; french: links=no, Office de l'Union européenne pour la propriété intellectuelle), founded in 1994, is the European Union Agency responsible for the registration of the European Union trad ...
decided in favour of Fox, and in 2012 Duff Beer UG appealed to the
European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Un ...
(ECJ). Twentieth Century Fox had itself been granted a CTM for the logo "Duff BEER" for use in several categories of non-beer merchandise.Community Trade Mark No. 001341130 o
CTM-ONLINE
at website of
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO; french: links=no, Office de l'Union européenne pour la propriété intellectuelle), founded in 1994, is the European Union Agency responsible for the registration of the European Union trad ...
, accessed November 17, 2012
Fox had applied for the CTM in 1999, but opposition from the makers of "Mac Duff's"-branded wine and spirits delayed the grant till 2006. Fox's CTM was cancelled by the OHIM in 2011, following a 2010 ruling by the Brussels Commercial Court that a "Beer" logo applied exclusively to non-beer merchandise was misleading. In 2014, Duff Beer UG's CTM was transferred to Fox, and the ECJ case was withdrawn. There was also a German trademark registered in 1999 to Duff Beverage GmbH, creating what one lawyer in 2015 called a "very complex situation".


United Kingdom

Daleside Brewery Daleside is an independent brewery founded in 1988 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. History Daleside Brewery was established in the mid 1980s in Harrogate. It moved to Starbeck in 1992 and went through periods of enlargement up until 199 ...
in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
makes a beer called Duff. Duff Beer UG's beer is distributed in the United Kingdom as "The Legendary Duff Beer". While news reports of its 2011 introduction mentioned ''The Simpsons'', its own website does not, although it refers to its "iconic packaging" and states "The product has certainly fulfilled its namesake in becoming a modern day legend".


Australia

In the mid 1990s, the
Lion Nathan Lion is an alcoholic beverage company that operates in Australia and New Zealand, and a subsidiary of Japanese beverage conglomerate Kirin. It produces and markets a range of beer and cider in Australia, and wine in New Zealand and the Unite ...
brewery in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
produced a beer called Duff, which resulted in
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
bringing legal action against the company. The product was ordered to be pulled from the shelves and destroyed because of the likely association in public mind between the ''Simpsons'' brand and characters and Lion Nathan's product, though the manufacturer did not use any ''Simpsons'' characters or the ''Simpsons'' Duff Beer design. This version of the beer became a collectors' item, with one case selling for
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
13,000. Duff Beer UG's beer was introduced in Australia in 2011. In May 2014, another incarnation of Duff was launched and sold through the Woolworths chain, but was pulled from Australian shelves on September 8 after a complaint to the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code adjudication panel was upheld over concerns over the product's appeal to minors.


Chile

The Investigations Police of Chile seized 60,000 bottles of Duff-brand beer in the city of Linares following an intellectual property complaint from 20th Century Fox in March 2013. Partially due to unauthorized Duff beer in the country, Fox announced plans to sell official Duff beer in Chile starting in early 2016, with plans to expand elsewhere in South America and into Europe. Producing a real Duff beer will allow Fox stronger
trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
protections of the Duff name; as a fictional product, it is more susceptible to piracy.


Mexico

Since 2006, Rodrigo Contreras, from
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
,
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
is setting up a business with the purpose of selling Duff beer. He managed to register the "Duff" trademark in Mexico, as well as the domain name DuffDeMexico.com. Contreras designed the bottle to be identical to the one portrayed on ''The Simpsons''. The bottle can be seen at his website. The beer is currently available at a few bars, but Contreras has stated his intention of selling it at convenience stores and even exporting it to the United States. This case has been featured on several Mexican newspapers and magazines, but most of them focus on the novelty the beer represents, rather than the legal implications of it. The "Duff" trademark was not registered in Mexico before Contreras registered it; however, Mexican
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
recognizes the concept of "brand notoriety", which states that if any brand is well known by a specific section of the consumers or the industry due to the commercial activities or advertisement done by its owners, they have the right to claim the ownership of the trademark. Since its inception, the Mexican brand Duff has spread to other countries in Latin-America like Brazil, Chile, Colombia, among others.


France

Duff Beer UG's beer was introduced into France in 2011, though with limited success. Since French television has a strict prohibition on advertising and product placement of alcohol, subsequent broadcasts of ''The Simpsons'' have blurred the Duff logo on screen. The name is not censored on the soundtrack, but
Duffman Barry Huffman, more commonly known by his work name Duffman, is a character on the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is the mascot and chief spokesperson for Duff Beer. It has been referenced, however, that the corporate mascot "Duffman" has ...
was redubbed "Uffman".


New Zealand

While Duff Brewery in
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
brewed Duff Beer many years before ''The Simpsons'', after threats of legal action by
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
, they negotiated at name to McDuff.


Duff Energy Drink

The gift shop of
The Simpsons Ride ''The Simpsons'' Ride is a motion simulator ride located in the Springfield areas of both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood. Based on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', the ride was announced in 2007 as a r ...
at
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
sells a canned energy drink made by Boston America Corp. that is designed to look like a Duff Beer can. It is also sold at a limited number of other locations, including
Five Below 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
, 2nd & Charles, and in the UK at American import stores such as Cybercandy, and Bootleggers.


References

{{Authority control Fictional food and drink Fictional brands Fictional companies The Simpsons de:Die Simpsons#Duff-Bier