Pedro Pascal vs. Pedro Pascal: Actor in legal battle with Chilean spirits brand | Chilean

Actor Pedro Pascal is waging a legal battle against a Chilean pisco dealer who chose a bold name for his brand of the country’s patriotic spirit: Pedro Pascal.

David Herrera registered the brand name with a Chilean trade regulatory body in 2023 and began selling his pisco in unlicensed restaurants.

“We tried some names and Pedro Pescal failed,” 41-year-old Herrera said. “Then we were planning a trip to the Pisco area when suddenly we received stern emails from lawyers. Me, a mere human, receiving emails from a star actor? It scared me a little.”

Pascal, who was born in Chile and is a popular figure in his homeland, did not attend a court hearing but applied to control the brand name due to its similarity to his name and trademark.

Herrera is not the first Chilean businessman to find himself facing off against a Hollywood star in court over a rude pun. A honey company calling itself Mel Gibson – using a still from Braveheart on the label – has won the right to continue using the name after the actor filed a lawsuit.

In 2020, DC Comics went after a bakery in Santiago that called itself Suburban for three decades and used images of Clark Kent and his famous “S” symbol. The bakery emerged victorious.

Across town, not far from a printing company called Harry Plotter, Matias Jara runs Star Wash, a car wash that borrows liberally from the Star Wars franchise — and even uses its famous font.

“Chileans are mischievous, that’s what it is,” Jara said. “We’re always messing around and joking around. We change English lyrics to make them Chilean, and we love wordplay – I love Star Wars and I just wanted to stand out with my brand.”

Once a month, motorists can vacuum their feet under the watchful eye of Chewbacca or sit at the wheel while a group of Stormtroopers supervise their windshields, with the front yard becoming a popular meeting place for cosplayers.

Star Wash has won its initial legal battle with Lucasfilm, holder of the rights to the Star Wars franchise, to continue using the name but is still awaiting a ruling in another case that could force Jara to change the company’s name.

As for Pedro Pescal, Herrera said: “I do not regret it for a single moment.” He said he and his cousins ​​were fond of piscola — Pisco and Coca-Cola poured over ice — and called it Piscola. He said Pedro came from the Pedro Ximenez grape variety from which the spirit is distilled.

But the actor’s lawyers saw it differently. Juan Pablo Silva, managing partner at the firm representing Pascal, said he was unable to comment on the ongoing case. However, he highlighted the initial rulings that transferred ownership of two online domains from Herrera to Pascal, as well as the actor’s success in trademarking his name, as reasons for the company to be optimistic about a decision that could come before the end of the year.

“We don’t use,” Herrera said [Pascal’s] His face or likeness anywhere. “We’re just selling a good product.”