Cigar makers La Aurora and Padilla Cigars have reached an agreement over the use of a lion image on cigars and the brand. Padilla Cigars had initially used a lion image on its cigar products, to the dismay of La Aurora, which had been using a lion on its cigar products since 1926.
Both companies agreed to settle the case amicably, with La Padilla given the chance to sell out its current inventory of non-tobacco materials before changing its logo. La Aurora had claimed that the current La Padilla logo caused confusion in the marketplace. La Aurora has allowed an alternate version of the La Padilla logo “to reflect a sufficiently abstract version of a lion design to avoid confusion in the market place and make a separate commercial impression in the minds of the consumer.” La Padilla, with La Aurora’s consent, has agreed to abandon an existing US Trademark Registration.
The agreement enables La Padilla to use an abstract lion on on its products now and for all releases in the future, and La Padilla agrees not to go back to the old design.