Tom Schlafly, co-founder of the brewery which produces the Schlafly brand of beers, poses for a photo at Schlafly Bottleworks on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, in Maplewood, Mo. Schlafly has been in a trademark... (Associated Press) 
 
 ST. LOUIS (AP) — To many older Americans, the Schlafly name is most closely associated with Phyllis Schlafly, the conservative commentator known for her campaign to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. 
 
 A younger generation knows Schlafly as the brand of an up-and-coming St. Louis brewery co-founded by Schlafly's nephew. 
 
 Now the federal agency that oversees trademarks is being asked to wade into a dispute within the prominent family and decide whether Schlafly is primarily a last name or a commercial brand that deserves legal protection. 
 
 With a growing national profile and new owners who might want to expand, the brewery started by Tom Schlafly more than two decades ago is seeking a trademark that would give it the exclusive right to use the Schlafly name to sell craft beer. But Phyllis Schlafly has asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to deny the request, lest any implied association with beer sully her 60-year political career. 
 
 "There are tens of millions of Americans who oppose alcohol," said Andrew Schlafly, a New Jersey lawyer who represents his mother in the matter. "Certainly alcohol has a connotation that is the opposite of conservative values." 
 
 Phyllis Schlafly, now 89, lives in a St. Louis suburb and continues to lead the Eagle Forum, the group she created to prevent ratification of the proposed constitutional amendment on women's rights. These days, the forum fights issues such as same-sex marriage and federal education standards. 
 
 Her official biography touts Schlafly as a "leader of the pro-family movement" and "successful opponent of the radical feminist movement." Her daily, syndicated radio commentaries are heard on more than 500 stations. She's written 20 books and continues to produce a monthly newsletter and a syndicated newspaper column. 
 
 Schlafly, who is not involved in the beer company, did not respond to several telephone messages seeking comment. Andrew Schlafly said his mother, who like her beer-making nephew is a lawyer, was speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week and was not available for an interview. She is a Schlafly by marriage, not birth: Her late husband was a brother of Tom Schlafly's father. 
 
 Andrew Schlafly has filed his own papers opposing the trademark. So has brother Bruce, an orthopedic surgeon in St. Louis. Each petition asserts that the word Schlafly when standing alone "has no usage or meaning other than as a surname." 
 
 Phyllis Schlafly's petition says supporters commonly assume she's connected to the beer company. Dr. Bruce Schlafly says his patients make the same mistake. 
 
 Nearly 18 months after Phyllis Schlafly filed her complaint, settlement talks continue. The brewery filed its application in 2011, not long before Schlafly and his partner, Dan Kopman, sold a majority of the brewery to Sage Capital LLC, a local private equity firm. 
 
 "I would like to get this settled and move on with selling beer," said Tom Schlafly, who remains the company's largest shareholder and its board chairman. 
 
 Schlafly beer is brewed in downtown St. Louis and in suburban Maplewood by the St. Louis Brewery Inc. The company produced 56,000 barrels of beer in 2013, making it the 44th largest craft brewery in the country, according to industry tallies. 
 
 As the company explores entry into new markets, the new ownership group decided to take steps to protect its brand. 
 
 "If we're going to make a significant investment and build the brewery, we want to add this," Tom Schlafly said in an interview at his downtown law office overlooking the Gateway Arch. "The bigger you are, the more likely you are to have other people copy you." 
 
 Opposition to the trademark may not be limited to members of Schlafly family. Anheuser-Busch has been given an extension through early April to file its own protest. Spokeswoman Lisa Weser said the makers of Budweiser have yet to decide on the issue but are keeping their options open. 
 
 "As the largest St. Louis brewery with more than 150 years of heritage in the city, we believe 'The Saint Louis Brewery' should not be trademarked by any one brewer," she said in a written statement. 
 
 Tom Schlafly declined to discuss the legal issues raised in the trademark dispute. He said the flap has not spilled over into a full-blown family feud and that he remains friendly with his aunt and cousins, whom he typically sees once or twice a year at holiday gatherings or weddings. 
 
 He also pointed out that the Eagle Forum and the brewery both oppose proposed changes to Missouri's liquor-franchise laws sought by distillers. That, he said, is evidence that the two sides can work together on some alcohol issues. 
 
 Nor does Schlafly want to insert his business into a political squabble. 
 
 "She has fans and critics," he said. "I want to sell to both of them. The last thing I want to do is antagonize her followers because I hope they drink Schlafly beer, too." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Alan Scher Zagier on Twitter at http://twitter.com/azagier . ||||| Phyllis Schlafly, the conservative activist, had no objection when her nephew, Tom, began producing a craft beer under the family name. 
 
 Not a beer drinker herself, Schlafly "didn’t have a problem when the business was in the family," said her son, Andrew. 
 
 Twenty years later, the St. Louis-based brewery has continued to expand, and now the private equity firm that is majority owner wants to trademark "Schlafly" to protect its brand. 
 
 What’s in a name? Legal trouble. 
 
 The federal agency that oversees trademarks is being asked to wade into a dispute within the prominent family and decide whether Schlafly is primarily a last name or a commercial brand that deserves legal protection. 
 
 On behalf of his 89-year-old mother, Far Hills attorney Andrew Schlafly is asking the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to deny the request, in part to protect her career and reputation. Alcohol, he said, has a connotation that is opposite of the conservative values on which his mother has staked her six-decade reputation. 
 
 "There are tens of millions of Americans who oppose alcohol," he said. 
 
 Phyllis Schlafly lives in St. Louis and continues to lead the Eagle Forum, the group she created in 1972 to prevent ratification of a proposed constitutional amendment on women’s rights. These days, the forum fights issues such as same-sex marriage and federal education standards. She was not available for comment, but opposes the attempt to re-use the family name, her son said. 
 
 Phyllis is a Schlafly by marriage, not birth: Her late husband, John, who died in 1993, was a brother of Tom Schlafly’s father. 
 
 Andrew Schlafly shares his mother’s political values — he filed a supporting brief against the Affordable Care Act — and because he also dislikes beer, has not sampled any of Schlafly’s several styles and seasonal brews. 
 
 Andrew Schlafly, who has lived in New Jersey with his wife for 30 years, said there was another reason for the trademark objection, which was filed in September 2012. The party seeking the trademark, he said, is not a Schlafly. 
 
 "It’s a little unsettling to think that a company owned by strangers owns your last name," he said, referring to Sage Capital. The equity firm purchased a majority of Saint Louis Brewery — which brews Schlafly — from Tom Schlafly and his partner in 2011. The trademark request was made a short time earlier. 
 
 A message left with St. Louis-based Sage Capital was not returned. 
 
 In this case, business is personal, but the Schlaflys downplayed any family feud. Andrew said the dispute is primarily with the new owners, and Tom Schlafly reportedly remains friendly with his aunt and cousins. 
 
 Settlement negotiations are ongoing. 
 
 Andrew Schlafly likened the trademark request to another eponymous beer, Samuel Adams. 
 
 "There was recognition of the name Samuel Adams, even though it was not associated with beer. That association gives the brand an unfair advantage," he said. 
 
 Samuel Adams — the beer — has been trademarked since 1984. Its label bears an illustration of Samuel Adams, the American patriot and founding father whose family produced the malt necessary for beer. 
 
 The brand popularized craft brewing and has helped Boston Beer Company become one of the largest U.S.-owned breweries in the country, producing nearly 3 million barrels a year. 
 
 Schlafly, which produced 56,000 barrels of beer last year, is planning to expand, said Tom Schlafly, who remains the company’s board chairman. The trademark, he said, will secure that name. 
 
 "The bigger you are, the more likely you are to have other people copy you," he said. 
 
 While Sage Capital wants the trademark for exclusive rights only to use the Schlafly name to sell craft beer, Andrew Schlafly said that could creep into other areas. 
 
 "It interferes with the ability of thousands of people who have this last name to conduct their own businesses," he said. "It’s not necessary." 
 
 The Associated Press contributed to this report. 
 
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– Schlafly is a familiar name for craft-beer lovers: The St. Louis, Missouri-based brewery has been brewing under that label for 20 years. But the private equity firm that bought a majority of the brewery in 2011 wants to see "Schlafly" trademarked, and that's opened up a can of worms of the familial variety. And it's a prominent family at the heart of the mess: That of 89-year-old conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, who the AP describes as famed for her campaign to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, and whose nephew, Tom Schlafly, began brewing under the family name, without conflict, many years ago. Phyllis Schlafly petitioned the US Patent and Trademark Office to reject the request some 18 months ago, as did her son Andrew Schlafly. He tells the Star-Ledger the name wasn't so much an issue "when the business was in the family" (a reference to the private equity firm, Sage Capital; Tom Schlafly has stayed on as chairman of the board for the brewery) but nonetheless points out that booze is associated with values his mother has fought against, and says supporters assume she's tied to the beer. Settlement talks continue, notes the AP, with the trademark office being asked to determine whether Schlafly is primarily a last name or a commercial brand that deserves legal protection. Two interesting factoids: Schlafly was the 44th largest craft brewery in the country last year, and Phyllis is a Schlafly by marriage, not birth.