2005 Connecticut Code - Sec. 30-63. Registration of brands, fees. Posting and notice of prices. Brand registration of fortified wine. When departmental approval prohibited.

      Sec. 30-63. Registration of brands, fees. Posting and notice of prices. Brand registration of fortified wine. When departmental approval prohibited. (a) No holder of any manufacturer, wholesaler or out-of-state shipper's permit shall ship, transport or deliver within this state, or sell or offer for sale, any alcoholic liquors unless the name of the brand, trade name or other distinctive characteristic by which such alcoholic liquors are bought and sold, the name and address of the manufacturer thereof and the name and address of each wholesaler permittee who is authorized by the manufacturer or his authorized representative to sell such alcoholic liquors are registered with the Department of Consumer Protection and until such brand, trade name or other distinctive characteristic has been approved by the department. Such registration shall be valid for a period of three years. The fee for such registration, or renewal thereof, shall be one hundred dollars for out-of-state shippers and three dollars for Connecticut manufacturers for each brand so registered, payable by the manufacturer or his authorized representative when such liquors are manufactured in the United States and by the importer or his authorized representative when such liquors are imported into the United States. The department shall not approve the brand registration of any fortified wine, as defined in section 12-433, which is labeled, packaged or canned so as to appear to be a wine or liquor cooler, as defined in section 12-433.

      (b) No manufacturer, wholesaler or out-of-state shipper permittee shall discriminate in any manner in price discounts between one permittee and another on sales or purchases of alcoholic liquors bearing the same brand or trade name and of like age, size and quality, nor shall he allow in any form any discount, rebate, free goods, allowance or other inducement for the purpose of making sales or purchases.

      (c) Each manufacturer, wholesaler and out-of-state shipper permittee shall post with the department, on a monthly basis, the bottle, can and case price, and for beer, the price per keg or barrel or fractional unit thereof, of any brand of goods offered for sale in Connecticut, which price when so posted shall be the controlling price for such manufacturer, wholesaler or out-of-state permittee for the month following such posting. Notice of all manufacturer, wholesaler and out-of-state shipper permittee prices shall be given to permittee purchasers by direct mail or advertising in a trade publication having circulation among the retail permittees except a wholesaler permittee may give such notice by hand delivery. Price postings with the department setting forth wholesale prices to retailers shall be available for inspection during regular business hours at the offices of the department by manufacturers and wholesalers until three o'clock p.m. of the first business day after the last day for posting prices. A manufacturer or wholesaler may amend his posted price for any month to meet a lower price posted by another manufacturer or wholesaler with respect to alcoholic liquor bearing the same brand or trade name and of like age, vintage, quality and unit container size; provided that any such amended price posting shall be filed before three o'clock p.m. of the fourth business day after the last day for posting prices; and provided further such amended posting shall not set forth prices lower than those being met. Any manufacturer or wholesaler posting an amended price shall, at the time of posting, identify in writing the specific posting being met.

      (1949 Rev., S. 4306; 1953, S. 2171d; P.A. 73-535; P.A. 74-19, S. 1, 2; P.A. 77-438, S. 4; 77-614, S. 165, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 80, 85, 136; P.A. 80-482, S. 4, 170, 191, 345, 348; P.A. 81-294, S. 10, 22; P.A. 82-238, S. 1, 2; 82-330, S. 1, 4; P.A. 84-332, S. 1; P.A. 91-122; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1, S. 59, 130; P.A. 95-195, S. 66, 83; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(d); P.A. 04-169, S. 17; 04-189, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 73-535 made three-dollar registration fee previously in effect applicable to Connecticut manufacturers only, imposed twenty-five dollar fee for out-of-state manufacturers and added provision re valid period of registration and renewals; P.A. 74-19 combined provisions re initial registration fees and renewals to eliminate redundancy; P.A. 77-438 specified that controlling price posted applies to "manufacturer, wholesaler or out-of-state permittee"; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced liquor control commission with division of liquor control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 made division of liquor control an independent department and abolished the department of business regulation, overriding provision of same act which would have placed the division within the public safety department; P.A. 81-294 divided section into Subsecs. and in Subsec. (c) allowed wholesaler permittees to give notice of posted prices by hand delivery, allowed manufacturers or wholesalers to amend posted prices under certain conditions and allowed manufacturers and wholesalers to inspect prices posted at the department; P.A. 82-238 increased the fee for registration of each brand of liquor sold in the state by an out-of-state shipper from twenty-five dollars to one hundred dollars; P.A. 82-330 amended Subsec. (c) to apply to beer in kegs; P.A. 84-332 amended Subsec. (c) by requiring the posting of prices on a monthly basis; P.A. 91-122 amended Subsec. (a) to prohibit department from approving the brand registration of any fortified wine labeled, packaged or canned so as to appear to be a wine or liquor cooler, as defined in Sec. 12-433; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1 amended Subsec. (a) to make a technical change, effective June 21, 1994; P.A. 95-195 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting Department of Consumer Protection for Department of Liquor Control, effective July 1, 1995; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 and P.A. 04-169 replaced Department of Consumer Protection with Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004.

      Cited. 130 C. 374; 133 C. 604. If sales of liquor were in violation of a zoning ordinance, any party whose interests were injured would in a proper case be entitled to seek redress by injunction. 133 C. 156. The commission is endowed with discretion in approving or disapproving of brand, trade name, etc. 133 C. 349. In seeking order requiring commission to approve brand, plaintiff was in the untenable position of seeking relief under a statute it claimed was unconstitutional. Id., 350. Constitutionality upheld. Not essential that permittee or backer have actual knowledge of allowance. 140 C. 185. Cited. 194 C. 165, 181. Cited. 213 C. 184, 213, 215.

      Cited. 14 CS 51; 18 CS 62.

      Subsec. (a):

      Cited. 213 C. 184, 213.

      Subsec. (b):

      Cited. 239 C. 599.

      Subsec. (c):

      Cited. 194 C. 165, 181. Cited. 213 C. 184, 215. Cited. 239 C. 599.