Trader Joe’s battles its own employees in logo dispute

US grocery store Trader Joe's has revived a legal battle against its own employee union over similar merchandise designs. While the case was dismissed in early 2024, a new ruling has granted the store's appeal for a retrial to settle the trademarked logo design battle.

Last year's dismissal saw the store accused by Judge Hernán Vera of attempting to "weaponize the legal system", with the company ordered to pay $112,622.12 in legal fees. While copyright disputes are always complicated, going after its own union marks an uncomfortable confrontation for Trader Joe's and its workers.

The legal dispute centres around merchandise sold by Trader Joe's United, including t-shirts, badges and a tote bag bearing the collective's logo. Featuring a fist holding a box cutter framed by red typography reading "Trader Joe's United", the design is allegedly "likely to cause consumer confusion,” according to the court filing, due to its similarity to the Trader Joe's wordmark.

Trader Joe's iconic tote bag has developed somewhat of a cult fashion following, so it's understandable that the brand would want to protect its merch. Despite granting permission to reopen the case, Judge Gabriel Sanchez wrote in the new ruling that a resolution was currently unclear, stating, "How a reasonable consumer might interpret the image of a raised fist holding a boxcutter is a question of fact that cannot be resolved at the pleading stage.”

For more creative news, check out these design disputes that shook the internet or take a look at the “essentially identical” logo that reignited a 40-year brand war.