In the last decade, Bulgaria has joined the worldwide frenzy for craft beer. Dozens of small brewers have emerged, bringing new flavors, quality ingredients, techniques, and of course – original marketing and advertising to consumers. What makes craft beer so special is not only the blend of traditional artisanal production and modern recipes but also the experience it creates. From unusual labels and catchy names (Cohones Brewery and Beer Bastards are the main participants in the judicial saga we are about to discuss, while the latter's brands include “F**ing awesome” and “Naked Attraction”) to original campaigns, consumption rituals, and hipster events, craft beer attracts creative and alternative people, and everyone else who wants to be like them.
The world of craft beer is undoubtedly exciting, but it is also very competitive, especially in the small Bulgarian market. Coming up with original names, recipes, and campaigns becomes more and more of a challenge, so some Bulgarian craft brewers have turned to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to do the creative work for them. They have even decided to take advantage of the popularity of AI by making it a central part of their marketing campaigns, which has become the object of the scrutiny of the Bulgarian Commission on the Protection of Competition (“CPC”) in a recent misleading advertising case.
“AI” stands for… “Administrative Infringement”?
The proceedings were initiated by Cohones Brewery (worthy of its name one might say) and several other small brewers against Beer Bastards (probably also worthy of their name), who claimed in a series of social media posts that their new beer variety was “the first AI-generated beer”, while in others it was stated that it was “the first beer with an AI-generated label”.
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“AI” stands for… “Administrative Infringement”?
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