TGI Fridays has partnered with Skinnygirl® Bare Naked vodka brand to offer a lineup of lower-calorie cocktails.  The casual dining franchise’s new cocktail range includes a Skinny Appletini, Skinny Cosmopolitan, Skinny Cosmo Cooler, Skinny Martini and Skinny Pink Punch Cosmo.  The drinks are all less than 130 calories.  This is sure to fuel the lower calorie drink trend.

Bar and restaurant owners must be wary of promoting cocktails using the term “Skinny” to avoid trademark infringement.  Other dangerous terms include SkinnyLicious®, (The Cheese Cake Factory), “Unbelievable Great Tasting and under 550 calories” (Applebee’s) and other low calorie promotional slogans and branding used by other businesses.  With the use of social media, your infringing use is more likely to be on the radar screen of trademark enforcers.

If you have an idea you are not sure about, contact a trademark attorney to review your proposed promotion before you launch it.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.