Latest news with #trademark
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Adidas ‘does not own all stripes,' Steve Madden says in lawsuit
This story was originally published on Fashion Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Fashion Dive newsletter. Steve Madden is suing Adidas for allegedly using anticompetitive efforts to monopolize 'common design features' in the fashion industry, namely stripes. In court documents filed last week, Steve Madden asked the court to confirm that two of its sneaker designs, the Viento and Janos, don't infringe on Adidas' trademarks. Both are low-top, lace-up sneakers that feature two nonparallel stripes. Attorneys for Steve Madden said the company is 'tired of being targeted by Adidas' regarding footwear that bears 'no resemblance' to Adidas' trademarked three stripe design, and further argued that no customer is likely to believe the sneakers are associated with Adidas. Adidas has federal trademark protection on a three parallel stripe design in specific locations on certain items of clothing and shoes. Attorneys for Steve Madden said Adidas has complained about the designs on Steve Madden's Viento and Janos sneakers, which include a 'divergent band' design and a 'K' design, respectively. Adidas filed a request in April to extend its time to oppose Steve Madden's trademark application for the K design, and its lawyers reached out to Steve Madden about concerns over the divergent band design, per the complaint. Variations of two bands on footwear are common in the fashion industry, Steve Madden said in the complaint, which also includes images of several sneakers with two-band designs from labels including Converse, Veja, Tommy Hilfiger and Bally. 'Simply put, Adidas does not own all stripes and should not be allowed to claim that it has a monopoly on all footwear that includes stripes, bars, bands or any shape having four sides — parallel, straight or not,' attorneys for Steve Madden said in the complaint. Adidas has sued Steve Madden over stripes before. In 2002, the Germany-based company filed one complaint over a four parallel stripe design and another one over a two parallel stripe design, per the complaint. The two lawsuits were combined, and both parties reached a settlement in 2003. Steve Madden is seeking a jury trial in the latest complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The footwear brand also is asking for a declaratory judgment of non-infringement and ruling that states no unfair competition between the companies. An Adidas spokesperson declined to comment. Steve Madden isn't the only brand that Adidas has targeted with litigation over its three stripe design. Adidas sued Thom Browne in yearslong litigation over the use of stripes both in the U.S. and the U.K. Ultimately, judges ruled in favor of Thom Browne in both instances. Recommended Reading 5 fashion lawsuits and legal trends to watch in 2025
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Buc-ee's sues Winter Park shop over its beaver t-shirts
WINTER PARK, Fla. - It's beaver vs. beaver. Buc-ee's has filed a lawsuit against a Florida oddities shop over its Krampus-inspired Buc-ee's beaver t-shirt. In the 14-page lawsuit, Buc-ee's argues that Prometheus Esoterica, a self-described Gothic boutique in Winter Park that sells "morbid antiquities," like taxidermy and animal skeletons, used Buc-ee's' beaver logo on t-shirts and other items without permission – and in violation of its trademark. According to the lawsuit, Prometheus Esoterica promoted the sale of its t-shirt designs, including a "Krampus Buccee,' on its Instagram page, as well as similar stickers. Among the allegations against the Florida shop: Federal trademark infringement Federal unfair competition Common law trademark infringement Common law unjust enrichment Violation of Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act Lawyers for Buc-ee's are seeking damages for the alleged infringement, an injunction preventing the shop from making more merchandise featuring its logo, and to destroy all items featuring its logo, according to the lawsuit. They're asking for a jury trial. "Defendant's unauthorized use of the BUC-EE'S Marks is likely to cause confusion among consumers. Consumers are likely to perceive a connection or association as to the source, sponsorship, or affiliation of the parties' products and services, when in fact none exists," the lawsuit states. FOX 35 reached out to the Winter Park shop for comment on Friday. We have not received a response. Earlier this year, Texas-based Buc-ee's filed a lawsuit against Super Fuels, claiming that its logo – a cartoon smiling pup with a red cape standing in front of a blue circle – was too similar to its logo, a cartoon beaver in a red hat standing with a yellow circle behind it. The Source The lawsuit was filed on May 29, 2025, in United States District Court Middle District of Florida - Orlando Division.
Malay Mail
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Perodua files trademark for ‘QV-E' name and logo, hints at debut of first EV by end 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Perodua has recently filed a trademark application for the QV-E name and logo with the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO). Given the details included in the MyIPO listings, it seems quite possible that QV-E might be the name of Perodua's first EV. First noted by local automotive site Funtasticko, the application for the QV-E name and logo was filed on 21 March 2025 under two classifications. One of them being class 12, which covers electric cars as well as EVs with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), EV charging connector types, EV battery, and EV's electric motor. Perodua has also filed its application for class 37, which includes EV charging stations, EV home chargers, and EV portable chargers. When we went through MyIPO database earlier today, the application status for both the name and logo was noted as 'Under Formality Validation'. As captured on the MyIPO database on May 30, 2025. Perodua has filed the QV-E name before Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that Perodua has submitted the QV-E name to MyIPO. Back in late June 2024, the national automaker submitted the name but with a different arrangement – Qve – to the agency alongside Ace and Pacer. As captured on the MyIPO database on May 30, 2025. Just like QV-E, all three names were filed under classes 12 and 37. However, only Ace has been officially trademarked, as noted in the MyIPO Journal batch 43/2024, which was published on 7 November last year. Even then, the Ace trademark only applies to class 37 but not class 12. At the same time, our search also showed that Perodua has yet to file a logo for the Ace name. What do we know about the Perodua EV so far? During the recent Malaysia Autoshow 2025, Perodua has unveiled the latest prototype of its upcoming EV albeit in a half-cut form. Nevertheless, the President and CEO of Perodua, Zainal Abidin Ahmad, said that this prototype is very close to the production version. He also revealed that the Perodua EV is currently in the final stage of homologation, and pilot production is expected to take place between September and October. The company is confident that the EV will be ready to be launched by the end of 2025. For now, the specs remained the same as per what Perodua has revealed before. This includes an LFP battery from CATL with 50kWh-ish of capacity, 400km range (NEDC), and 0-100km/h timing of under 7 seconds. It has also been mentioned that the EV takes around 8 hours to be fully charged via AC charging. As for DC charging, 30 minutes is enough to get the battery to go from 30 per cent to 80 per cent. Zainal also said that the upcoming Perodua EV can hit a top speed of 165km/h, while it will also feature ADAS L2 capability and is designed to meet the 5-star ANCAP classification. As you can see from the images, the new EV will also feature a fastback design, which is skewed towards the lower B-segment. The CEO has also confirmed that the Perodua EV will indeed be offered through a battery leasing service. This will allow the company to offer the new EV for under RM80,000. Customers can also purchase the car by cash or bank loan, and then sign up for the battery leasing separately. They can also choose to purchase both the EV and the battery outright, although details regarding the purchase and leasing arrangements are still under discussion. However, the company will not be implementing battery swapping service at this juncture. That being said, Zainal pointed out that customers can have the high-voltage battery within the Perodua EV changed in just 30 minutes at the service centre if there is any issue with it. Perodua EV as envisioned by automotive artist Theottle, based on the latest prototype. Zainal also pointed out that customers who purchase the battery outright have to pay for a new replacement battery themselves, if needed, once the eight-year warranty is over. On the other hand, customers who signed up for the leasing service will get the battery replacement for free as long as they retain the subscription. — SoyaCincau
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Aldi accused by Oreo maker Mondelez of copying its packaging
Mondelez International, the company behind Oreo, Wheat Thins and other name-brand products, says Aldi is copying its packaging in an effort to dupe customers into buying the supermarket chain's products. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Illinois, the snack company alleges that Aldi "blatantly copies" the distinctive packaging of its brands in order to mislead customers into thinking they are buying a Mondelez product when they are actually purchasing a store-brand version. The company is seeking monetary damages and a court order that would prevent Aldi from selling products Mondelez says infringe on its trademarks. A comparison of name brand products (top row) and the Aldi products (bottom row) that Mondelez alleges are designed as look-alikes in order to dupe customers into buying them. Nam Y. Huh / AP Neither Aldi nor Mondelez immediately responded to CBS News' requests for comment. Mondelez names a number of Aldi products in its lawsuit that it alleges are look-alikes of its own popular snacks such as Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins, Nilla Wafers cookies and Nabisco Premium Saltine Crackers. The company claims the Aldi store-brand items have different names but bear similar packaging design elements — including font, colors, image placement and product names — to Mondelez products. Aldi's Peanut Butter Creme Filled Cookies, for example, come in a red box, similar to that of Mondelez's Nutter Butter cookies. The white script font and cookie image on the packaging also mimic the Nutter Butter packaging, the snack company claims. Aldi also sells a product called Thin Wheat, which in addition to the nearly synonymous name to Nabisco's Wheat Thins, has a similar design to the Mondelez product, including a yellow background, the word "original" and crackers pictured on the bottom half of the box, the lawsuit says. Nabisco Wheat Thins (left) is one of several name-brand snacks whose packaging Mondelez claims is being "blatently"copied by Aldi to trick customers into buying store-brand versions. AP Photos/Nam Y. Huh The trademark lawsuit is not the first for Aldi, which been called out numerous times over its products' packaging. Earlier this year, a U.K. appeals court ruled in favor of Thatchers, a cider company, which sued Aldi over design similarities in the packaging of its lemon cider. Mondelez is one of the worlds largest multinational food companies, with a footprint in over 150 countries. Aldi, a U.S.-based company, has over 2,500 locations. contributed to this report.
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Oreo maker Mondelez sues Aldi, alleging grocery chain copies its packaging to confuse customers
This combo of images shows, top row from left, Mondelez's products Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy! and Oreo cookies; bottom row from left, shows Aldi's products, Peanut Butter Creme, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Original Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla Filing, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Glenview, Ill. (AP Photos/Nam Y. Huh) Snack food maker Mondelez International is suing the Aldi supermarket chain, alleging the packaging for Aldi's store-brand cookies and crackers 'blatantly copies' Mondelez products like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins and Oreos. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Illinois, Chicago-based Mondelez said Aldi's packaging was 'likely to deceive and confuse customers' and threatened to irreparably harm Mondelez and its brands. The company is seeking monetary damages and a court order that would stop Aldi from selling products that infringe on its trademarks. A message seeking comment was left Thursday with Aldi. In the lawsuit, Mondelez displayed side-by-side photos of multiple products. Aldi's Thin Wheat crackers, for example, come in a gold box very similar to Mondelez's Wheat Thins. Aldi's chocolate sandwich cookies and Oreos both have blue packaging. The supermarket's Golden Round crackers and Mondelez's Ritz crackers are packaged in red boxes. Aldi, a German discount chain with U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Illinois, keeps prices low by primarily selling products under its own labels. The chain has faced lawsuits over its packaging before. Last year, an Australian court found that Aldi infringed on the copyright of Baby Bellies snack puffs for young children. In that case, Aldi's packaging featured a cartoon owl and similar colors to the name-brand packaging. Earlier this year, a U.K. appeals court ruled in favor of Thatchers, a cider company, which sued Aldi over design similarities in the packaging of its lemon cider. Mondelez said in its lawsuit that the company had contacted Aldi on numerous occasions about 'confusingly similar packaging.' Mondelez said Aldi discontinued or changed the packaging on some items but continued to sell others. The lawsuit also alleges that Aldi infringed on Mondalez's trade dress rights for the packaging of Nutter Butter and Nilla Wafers cookies, and its Premium cracker brand. Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press
