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Pedro Pascal Faces Off With “Pedro Piscal” in Trademark Dispute
Pedro Pascal is at the center of a legal dispute in Chile that mixes intellectual property, branding rights, and celebrity image protection. At stake is a bottle of pisco and a name that has stirred controversy.
The Birth of “Pedro Piscal”
The story begins in December 2022, when Chilean entrepreneur David Herrera shared a piscola with family during a holiday celebration. Inspired by the moment, he decided to create a pisco brand with a catchy name: Pedro Piscal.
Herrera quickly moved forward, registering the brand with Chile’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI). After its publication in the Diario Oficial in June 2023, the mandatory 30-day window for objections passed without opposition. By August, Herrera was officially the legal owner of the trademark.
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In 2024, the product entered the market through a partnership with Pisquera Aba, based in Chile’s famed Elqui Valley in the Coquimbo Region. Positioned as a premium 40° pisco priced at around $12 per bottle, it launched with the slogan: “Descubre la excelencia en cada sorbo” (“Discover excellence in every sip”).
Herrera’s defense of the name was straightforward: “Pedro comes from Pedro Jiménez, the grape variety used to make the liquor, and Piscal is directly related to pisco. It’s a play on words, but in no case an allusion to the actor,” explained Herrera’s attorney, Ángel Labra, to El País.
Pedro Pascal’s Legal Response
The brand’s quick success did not go unnoticed. On March 5, 2024, Pascal’s legal team: Juan Pablo Silva, Luis Felipe Opazo, and Manuel Concha of Estudio Silva, filed a lawsuit with INAPI seeking to annul the trademark registration.
They argued that the similarity between Pedro Pascal and Pedro Piscal was “too obvious,” likely to mislead consumers into believing the Hollywood actor was either the owner or an ambassador for the drink.
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“There is a clear commercial intent by the defendant, taking advantage of the fame of our client by securing a trademark that evidently seeks to be associated with Pedro Pascal for profit,” stated attorney Juan Pablo Silva.
The lawyers also added a claim of unfair competition, noting that Pascal is already the face of major beverage brands such as Corona beer and Casillero del Diablo wine. A liquor branded as Pedro Piscal, they argued, could interfere with his existing contracts and tarnish his reputation.
Herrera has firmly rejected the accusations of bad faith. His defense maintains that the brand has no reference to the actor, relying instead on legitimate wordplay tied to Chilean grapes and pisco tradition.
“Neither the bottle’s label nor the website shows his image, but rather a man and a dog in black silhouettes,” emphasized lawyer Ángel Labra, arguing that no reasonable consumer could confuse the product with a celebrity endorsement.
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Herrera’s team has even requested that Pascal himself testify in the case, something that has not yet occurred.
Digital Victories and Ongoing Battle
While the court case moves slowly (it could take up to two years to resolve), the actor has already scored small victories in the digital realm. In 2024, Pascal successfully won disputes before NIC Chile over the domains pedro-piscal.cl and pedropiscalpisco.cl, which were deemed too similar to his name.
For now, the case is in the evidence phase, with both sides submitting documentation and arguments. The outcome could set an important precedent in Chile regarding how far intellectual property protections extend when it comes to celebrity names and cultural products.
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