The Surprising Reason White Claw Is Suing This Small Business

There may be no laws when you're drinking Claws, but there are some laws the owner of White Claw would like to enforce, if you're making candles with its cans. The meme about Claws and no laws helped make the hard seltzer go viral on social media a few years back (via Film Daily), and the beverage's intense popularity might have inspired a small-time online novelty store called Fun Club to sell White Claw can candles. 

There was nothing fancy about these candles. Fun Club's supplier was just cutting the top off an empty White Claw can, filling it with wax and a wick, and calling it a candle (via TMZ). Mark Anthony International, makers of White Claw, sued Fun Club and owner Caitlin Minges for selling these candles alongside their online lineup of prayer candles featuring the likes of Saint Sweatpantsia and memorial candles honoring the time "When I Gave a S***." White Claw's makers argue in their lawsuit that the candles are a threat to the goodwill the public has toward the best-selling hard seltzer brand because they could start a fire in someone's home.

White Claw maker Mark Anthony International sent online novelty store Fun Club a cease and desist letter, according to TMZ — an action often taken in an attempt to resolve a dispute like this without going through the added expense of taking it to court (via Gertsburg Licata). Fun Club complied with the letter by pulling the White Claw candles from its store. White Claw went ahead and sued them anyway.

Caitlin Minges, Fun Club's owner, cast herself as the victim in the lawsuit that Mark Anthony International filed against her company for selling candles made from White Claw cans. Minges told TMZ, "It is unfortunate that White Claw dislikes recycling and is using its enormous resources as a massive company to go after small women-owned businesses who are attempting to make something functional out of their garbage." White Claw, apparently, wasn't satisfied to see the product removed from the Fun Club store. Now, according to the lawsuit, the beverage company is going after any profits the store made selling White Claw candles.

Trademark lawyers don't come cheap. White Claw either figures Fun Club made a lot of profit off those candles, or the beverage maker is willing to pay a high price to send a message to anyone else out there who might try to leech off the spiked seltzer's success: When drinking Claws, don't forget the trademark laws.