Last summer, when Dr. Pepper sold a limited-edition version of the beverage that used cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, we mentioned that some soda fans in Texas are always able to get their hands on Dr. Pepper from the old-school Dublin Dr. Pepper bottling plant that never made the change over to HFCS. But parent company Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. says the Dublin folks have been selling their brew outside its designated area using the name Dublin Dr. Pepper in violation of their agreement.

Dr. Pepper Snapple filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court on Tuesday, asking a court to order the bottler to stop using the Dublin Dr. Pepper name and logo.

“In the simplest terms, the bottler in Dublin is using a logo that is no longer authorized and is taking business from fellow Dr Pepper bottlers who play by the rules and sell within their defined territories,” an executive with Dr. Pepper Snapple says. “We owe it to our other bottlers to stop these unauthorized practices.”

In a statement on the Dublin Dr. Pepper website, the bottler responds to the suit:

We are surprised to learn that our corporate partner has taken this action, but we are confident that this lawsuit will not succeed. We have been a loyal partner to Dr Pepper Snapple longer than any other bottler, and we’ve worked successfully with several different ownership groups for our parent company to become one of the company’s most successful franchisees. It is unfortunate that Dr Pepper Snapple’s attorneys are asking our overburdened court system to resolve what we believe is a business matter, but we look forward to telling our side of the story before a judge and jury, and we will continue to provide great products and great service to every one of our customers.

The Dublin plant has been in operation since 1891 and claims to bottle the original Dr. Pepper formula.

Lawsuit: Dublin Dr Pepper Not What Doctor Ordered [CBSlocal.com]

Thanks to Tenma for the tip!

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