The approval email arrives. Your Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) is issued, your new red blend is cleared for bottling, and the brand feels safe.

It isn’t. An approved COLA does not protect your brand name, and the way you launch can sometimes cost you the trademark entirely. It’s one of the most expensive misunderstandings in the wine business.

Two systems that don’t talk to each other

Federal wine branding runs on two separate tracks.

The TTB reviews your label for consumer protection and mandatory disclosure: class and type, alcohol content, net contents, the health warning, sulfite declarations, and appellation rules.

The USPTO handles brand ownership: who has the right to a name, and whether a new mark is likely to be confused with one that already exists. Click here to learn how to avoid this confusing pitfall and apply COLAClear to precheck your label.