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How do you deal with brewers stealing all your brew records and quitting? TTB?

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  • How do you deal with brewers stealing all your brew records and quitting? TTB?

    Our two brewers recently quit. No big deal but they took all of the records that they brewed, and even some more that were brewed by other brewers. We need this info for the TTB and I do not want to ever have a problem with them. I contacted the former employees with the request and they said that the recipes belong to them and we have no rights to them, because "they belong to them". It is my understanding that once a recipe is brewed on a commercial system that recipe belongs to both the brewer and the brewery, for TTB reasons. We have hit a brick wall trying to talk to them and deal with this in a civil manner. What should we do?

    Charlie Sturdavant
    Golden City Brewery
    Owner, Manager, & Brew Master.

  • #2
    Well I don't know about "TTB reasons", but it seems to me that they were employees of the brewery and therefore any work performed or records created within the normal scope of their duties, which would obviously include recipe formation and production record-keeping, would be sole property of the Brewery. (Unless you've got some sort of explicit employment contract to the contrary or something.) Also there's a potential for a violation of state or federal Trade Secrets law. Perhaps they're under this misguided notion that one can copyright a recipe and that that somehow makes it theirs? But yeah, sounds like theft, among other things. Call a lawyer.
    Russell Everett
    Co-Founder / Head Brewer
    Bainbridge Island Brewing
    Bainbridge Island, WA

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    • #3
      They took your brewing records? I agree that it is for sure theft.

      Comment


      • #4
        Maybe call the police?

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Bainbridge View Post
          Well I don't know about "TTB reasons", but it seems to me that they were employees of the brewery and therefore any work performed or records created within the normal scope of their duties, which would obviously include recipe formation and production record-keeping, would be sole property of the Brewery. (Unless you've got some sort of explicit employment contract to the contrary or something.) Also there's a potential for a violation of state or federal Trade Secrets law. Perhaps they're under this misguided notion that one can copyright a recipe and that that somehow makes it theirs? But yeah, sounds like theft, among other things. Call a lawyer.
          Agreed.

          Recipes can not be patented, trademarked or copyrighted to my knowledge. They worked for you and they got paid. All the property (intellectual or otherwise belong to the company).

          Comment


          • #6
            All the property (intellectual or otherwise belong to the company).
            I would think that would vary greatly depending on the employment contract (assuming they had one).

            With that said I'm definitely no lawyer...

            Comment


            • #7
              I heard of a similar situation in my neck of the woods years ago. It ended up in litigation over who "owns" the recipes. It came down to where were they created: on the clock at the brewery or on the brewer's personal time not at work. Created at work=a possession of the business like that full tank of beer brewed at the brewery is an asset of the company. Created not at work=an asset of the individual who made it.
              Aside from that, taking the TTB records is outright theft. Call the police. Call your attorney. Would you still be having this question/discussion if they took a CIP pump or took kegs?
              Luck to you.

              Prost!
              Dave
              Glacier Brewing Company
              406-883-2595
              info@glacierbrewing.com

              "who said what now?"

              Comment


              • #8
                Aside from that, taking the TTB records is outright theft. Call the police. Call your attorney. Would you still be having this question/discussion if they took a CIP pump or took kegs?
                Agree with this. Either way let us know what ends up happening.

                Our two brewers recently quit. No big deal
                Just noticed this. To me, two of my more important employees suddenly quitting would absolutely be a "big deal". Any background story?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thieves.(period)

                  For your brewers/employees, all the work performed, recipes conceptualized/formulated, and all records are the property of the employer.
                  ________________
                  Matthew Steinberg
                  Co-Founder
                  Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co.
                  Framingham, MA USA

                  Head Brewer
                  Filler of Vessels
                  Seller of Liquid
                  Barreled Beer Aging Specialist
                  Yeast Wrangler
                  Microbe Handler
                  Malt Slinger
                  Hop Sniffer
                  Food Eater
                  Music Listener

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Theives

                    I just finished building two breweries, commissioned equipment and formulated the recipes., Filed the first TTB recipe and Brewers Report of Operations forms.
                    It is the owners that put up the money, and gave trust in me to fulfill their dream. With a good pay check every month I have no problem giving them a recipe that most likely will make them Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars for about 30 minutes of math and raw material formulation.
                    These scumbags most likely felt they were worth more than a brewer gets paid.

                    Lance
                    Rebel Malting Co.
                    Reno, Nevada USA
                    775.997.6411
                    lancejergensen@gmail.com

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      For your brewers/employees, all the work performed, recipes conceptualized/formulated, and all records are the property of the employer.
                      I will re-iterate this not to be a dick, but to protect anybody in a similar situation: "It depends on what's in the employment agreement". Have one...period.

                      The good news is brewers don't make much money so the odds of them actually doing something from a legal standpoint (if they even could) is pretty much nil.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Normally you would want an employee handbook, with signed acknowledgments by each employee, that clearly states any recipe design or other invention discovered in the course of employment belongs exclusively to the employer. If your employees are under contract then you would want that in the contract instead. Absent such language, you are at the mercy of your state's laws as to who owns the rights to the recipes and who has licenses to use them. If the employees developed the recipes then they may have the rights even if they were created in the course of employment. That is the law in many states.

                        Contrary to popular belief, a recipe can be registered as a copyright. (see http://interactionlaw.com/wordpress/...crambled-eggs/)

                        All the above aside, the actual records are your property and what you have described is theft. You should file a police report and consider other civil steps to (1) prevent the brewers from using the records for other businesses; (2) protect yourself from other financial harm caused by the theft; and (3) obtain a civil order for the recovery of the records.

                        If you do not have controls in place in your brewery to protect your rights in the recipes, customer lists and other intellectual property related to your business then your next call should be to an employment lawyer to help you draft and implement an employee handbook that includes these issues.
                        DFW Employment Lawyer
                        http://kielichlawfirm.com

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by mashpaddled View Post
                          Contrary to popular belief, a recipe can be registered as a copyright. (see http://interactionlaw.com/wordpress/...crambled-eggs/)
                          Yes. But a listing of ingredients cannot be. If you had a recipe for Green Eggs and Ham, then "you would not, should not put it in too small a pan" and other Seussian nonsense would be copyrightable. But:
                          • One Ham (10lbs)
                          • Two Eggs (Green)


                          Would not be. So a listing of types and amounts of malts and hops wouldn't be copyrightable either. But if you were to say, publish it with detailed instructions and flowery descriptions that part would be.
                          Russell Everett
                          Co-Founder / Head Brewer
                          Bainbridge Island Brewing
                          Bainbridge Island, WA

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Names?

                            I am curious to what these brewer's names are? I don't want to hire these guys for anything.

                            Rhombus

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                            • #15
                              Arrogant brewers - former employees

                              Thank you to all that have responded to my question, and thank you for the advice.
                              We did have an attorney write a letter to my former employees and they have agreed to return the missing paper files and to recreate the digital files with one stipulation...that we don't turn them in to the TTB.
                              Thank you again,
                              Charlie Sturdavant

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