Unlocking new opportunities – protecting ‘change is brewing’ for Tap Social (Pro-Bono).
Founded in 2016 The Tap Social Movement is a craft brewery and hospitality Social Enterprise.
Creating jobs and training for ex-offenders, Tap Social are one of our key partners.
Tap Social hire people who are currently in or who have recently been released from prison and supports them in developing new skills and getting real work experience in an engaging and fast-growing industry.
Tap Social has already provided 80,000 hours of meaningful, paid employment (that’s over 38 years of full-time work!) for some of the most disadvantaged people in our communities.
How we helped
Managing Risk
Our team recently advised Tap Social on the infringement of its trademarked term ‘Change is Brewing’ trademark.
Change is Brewing” is the name of Tap Social’s annual beer festival, a slogan regularly used in Tap Social’s marketing, and a phrase that was trade marked in 2021.
Creating new opportunities
As a small social enterprise, the risk of trademark infringement is significant for Tap Social.
However, realising that there could be a great opportunity for Tap Social, and rather than taking an overly litigious approach, with our help Tap Social got in touch (in robust but constructive terms) with the other party, set out its concerns and proposed a way forward that should benefit everyone involved.
Both parties were then able to reach a mutually satisfactory outcome which, most importantly of all, would allow them to join forces to provide even more support to the disadvantaged community that Tap Social was created to help.
Multi-faceted Support
We have supported Tap Social through regular visits to venues, to ordering their products and championing them on social media. Most recently we collaborated with Tap Social to produce a limited-edition Christmas Gingerbread Blondie, exclusively for our clients and contacts.
We have also supported Tap Social in its £40,000 Crowdfund campaign. As part of our support, we were able to take our team members to the Tap Social Brewing facilities for a day helping out and finding out more about how the brewing and manufacturing process works. We also launched an exclusive and one-off beer with Tap Social ‘Screaming Zebra’, available exclusively to White & Black team at our launch party held at Tap Social’s venue.
