Legal History
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the history of Meinhard's Bitters is the legal battles surrounding the use of the name "Angostura Bitters". Meinhard and his distributors were involved at least three legal actions with the founder of rival bitters manufacturer Angostura bitters, Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert.
- Siegert v. Wm. H. Knoepfel- New York Supreme Court in 1873
- Siegert v. Ehlers - Trinidad & Tobago Court in 1874
- Siegert et al. v Meinhard et al. - Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1877
- Siegert v. Findlater - in British Court, Chancery Division, 15 January 1878
The Findlater case is of legal interest. The case was published in legal journals worldwide, and is still cited in modern court cases as one of the foundations of English trademark law. In summary, Meinhard was selling his brand of bitters under the name "Angostura Bitters by Teodoro Meinhard", and was able to legally trademark the name "Angostura" in Great Britain. Seigert sued Meinhard's distributor Findlater, who was indemnified from fault in the case by Meinhard's representatives, claiming that although the name "Angostura" was not copyrighted by Siegert in Great Britain, it was in fact the name by which Siegert's brand of bitters was popularly known in that country. The court upheld Seigert's claim to the un-copyrighted name "Angostura", creating an often cited precedent in British law.
After losing the case, it is unknown exactly what name Meinhard used for his products in Great Britain. During the Centennial Exhibition of Australia, the product was identified as "Dr. Theodor Meinhard's Amargo de Bolivar" in 1888. However later publications continued to refer to the product as "Angostura Bitters by Teodoro Meinhard".
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