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James Atoa/UPI

Conor McGregor's plan to release a Notorious whiskey brand has been iced

The MMA superstar dropped a trademark bid after running into opposition from an Irish beer brand.

MMA SUPERSTAR CONOR McGregor has withdrawn his application to register his ‘Notorious’ moniker as a trademark for selling whiskey and other alcoholic drinks across Europe.

Last year, the mixed martial arts fighter’s company, McGregor Sports and Entertainment Ltd, filed the application.

He later boasted after his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather that the Notorious brand of Irish whiskey would be “coming soon”.

However, McGregor’s firm has withdrawn the trademark application at the European Union Intellectual Property Office in Spain in the face of opposition from a Carlow brewer.

The founder of the Carlow Brewing Company, Seamus O’Hara, had formally objected to McGregor’s firm registering the trademark.

The businessman, whose firm is behind the O’Hara’s craft beer brand, had already registered the Notorious brand for selling alcohol in 2016.

His representatives told the EU intellectual property office that the identical nature of the trademark was “expressing prohibited by trademark law” and the two brands “cannot coexist peacefully in the market”.

McGregor’s firm was ordered to pay €620 in costs to O’Hara.

Working hard

However, the move to withdraw the application is not expected to impact on McGregor’s plans to launch a whiskey label.

In a recent Instagram post – just days after the trademark application was withdrawn – the fighter said: “Working hard at my whiskey distillery. It is in my opinion, the finest distillery we have on this great island.

“We have the purest soil, with the freshest Irish spring water, and our golden Irish grain and malt is so golden … I respect Jameson, the current number one. But I am coming in strong. I am coming in passionate. I am coming to take over!”

The MMA fighter has not revealed where the whiskey will be produced, however McGregor will need to partner with one of the country’s existing distilleries in the short- to medium-term to bring his brand on the market.

To be sold as Irish whiskey, the drink has to be produced on the island of Ireland and aged for more than three years.

McGregor, whose net worth was estimated at €85 millions in the latest Sunday Times rich list, last year brandished a bottle of whiskey with the brand Notorious on the label.

However, in his Instagram post, the word was conspicuous by its absence.

A spokesman for Carlow Brewery did not wish to comment.

Additional reporting Peter Bodkin.

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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    May 28th 2022, 8:35 AM

    Give it another six months and if the price of everything keeps increasing as it has in the last six months, people might be living on spuds!

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    Mute James Fox
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    May 28th 2022, 11:31 AM

    @David Van-Standen: spuds ain’t cheap to buy either

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    Mute Aurelio Na Fodhla
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    May 28th 2022, 11:56 AM

    @James Fox: cheap to grow. I’ve about 80 plants growing

    29
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    Mute
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    May 28th 2022, 10:20 AM

    How come chippies are complaining about the price of potatoes and their suppliers are blaming it on the war saying a lot of potatoes they use are imported. Example My local chippie has t2 stores he gets a HGV load of potatoes once/twice a week he’s getting them potatoes in from UK and parts of Eastern Europe inc Ukraine pre war. This country should be self sufficient in veg.

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    Mute Paul Guckian
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    May 28th 2022, 10:04 AM

    How come we cannot buy any frozen chips that are made in Ireland? Not only should be able to, it should be a major export commodity as well.

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    Mute Finola Thorn
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    May 28th 2022, 11:22 AM

    Bring back (in supermarkets) the option to pick your own spuds. I personally never get through even a small bag before they go off. Being able to pick the amount you need for one meal would be helpful and I’m sure more people like me, would be more inclined to buy.

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    Mute OConnelj
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    May 28th 2022, 11:37 AM

    @Finola Thorn: I bought 2 potatoes yesterday!

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    Mute OConnelj
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    May 28th 2022, 11:38 AM

    @OConnelj: in a supermarket.

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    May 28th 2022, 12:02 PM

    @OConnelj: wrapped in plastic no doubt

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    Mute Eddie O'Neill
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    May 28th 2022, 1:26 PM

    @Finola Thorn: I would completely agree on that, same for other fruit and vegetables. They don’t care if you have to throw out produce gone bad, they sell you a bigger bag than you need because they can charge you more for it. That’s all they are interested in, your money and getting it from your pocket into their till. The days of Superquinn are long gone now.

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    Mute OConnelj
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    May 28th 2022, 5:12 PM

    @Jason Walsh: nope loose.

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    Mute Kate Peters
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    May 28th 2022, 5:47 PM

    @Finola Thorn: I live on my own,and I go to the veg man,he has a stall,and has every kind of fruit veg and potatoes,I’d say can I get 4 r 6 potatoes,it’s no problem,he has veg u get in the supermarket,and he has the carrots,onions with the stalks still on them,they have only been picked,or often in Butchers they would have a paper bag of potatoes,and u can fill your own,I hope u find someplace near u

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    May 28th 2022, 8:44 AM

    A Polish friend of mine was asking me wan time which were better, Polish Potatoes or Irish Potatoes? I said to him: That dipinds on whether you are ating dem yurselves, or fading dem to de cattle.

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    Mute Lien Lynch
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    May 28th 2022, 8:36 AM

    Sounds like he has a bit of a chip about it

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    Mute Niall O'Reilly
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    May 28th 2022, 3:09 PM

    Potatoes are so flexible. I love them as boxty. New potatoes are delicious just add butter and a pinch of salt. Roasted or boiled in their jackets or mashed with milk, scallions, butter and chives. Or served baked in cream. Or as pommes Anna. Or pommes dauphinois! Or Créme fraiche potatoes. The list is endless!! Gan féasta gan prátaí!

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