Reference no: EM132081896

A federal statute and related regulations prohibited producers of beer from listing, on a product label, the alcohol content of the beer in the container on which the label appeared. The regulation existed because the U.S. government believed that if alcohol content could be disclosed on labels, certain producers of beer might begin marketing their brand as having a higher alcohol content than competing beers. The government was concerned that "strength wars" among producers could then develop, that consumers would seek out beers with higher alcohol content, and that adverse public health consequences would follow. Because it wished to include alcohol content information on container labels for its beers, Coors Brewing Co. filed suit against the United States government and asked the court to rule that the statute and regulations violated Coors's constitutional right to freedom of speech.

-The alcohol content disclosures that Coors wished to make with regard to its product would be classified as commercial speech. Does commercial speech receive the same degree of constitutional protection that political or other noncommercial speech receives?

-Which party won the case and why?

-Do producers and other sellers of alcoholic beverages have, in connection witht he sale of their products, special ethical obligations that sellers of other products might not have? If so, what are those oblications and why do they exist?