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News
New Zealand brewery that fell foul of The Simpsons up for sale
You wait ages for one Simpsons beer-related story, and then two come along in the space of a week.
Hot on the heels of news that Colombian brewers have been sued for copyright infringement for selling Duff Beer, renamed to Duh Beer, a New Zealand brewery – also made to change its name by the animated TV series The Simpsons’ lawyers – is available for sale.
McDuffs Brewery in Dunedin was founded by Gavin Duff in 1997, under the name of Duffs Brewery. After five years operating under that name, the company received a complaint from the News Corporation subsidiary, 20th Century Fox, producers of The Simpsons.
The show’s main character, Homer Simpson, drinks a fictional “Duff Beer” in the series, and Fox has shown itself to be strongly protective of rights to the fictional brand in recent years.
Renamed as McDuff, the boutique brewery has continued to brew ever since. Gavin Duff, having been running the company for the best part of 20 years, now wishes to retire and the company is for sale.