In cartoons, a lightbulb signifies that someone's had a great idea.
But for two craft breweries in St. Louis, the lightbulb has become a sign of controversy — with a lawsuit in federal court alleging that two-year-old Modern Brewery helped itself to the lightbulb logo first employed by three-year-old Side Project.
And the lawsuit suggests the similar logos simply couldn't be an accident. Side Project founder Cory King alleges in the suit that he shared the lightbulb idea with Modern Brewery founder Beamer Eisele even before Side Project's 2013 launch.
On the day King launched his marketing efforts, Modern registered the name "Side Project Brewing" with the Missouri Secretary of State.…