Blue Bottle Espresso Loses Trademark Swimsuit In opposition to ‘Blue Brew’Every day Espresso Information by Roast Journal

A United States District Court docket decide this week dominated towards Blue Bottle Espresso in a trademark infringement case towards the proprietor of the Blue Brew model of espresso tools.

In a redaction-filled 55-page order submitted on Tuesday, Choose Charles Breyer of the Northern California U.S. District Court docket dismissed Blue Bottle’s movement for a trial, noting that there isn’t any proof that buyers have been or are prone to confuse the 2 manufacturers.

Blue Bottle, the specialty espresso firm famously based by James Freeman in his Bay Space storage in 2002 earlier than increasing to no less than 70 shops all through the world, argued that the Blue Brew title, marks and commerce costume had been infringing on Blue Bottle’s longstanding logos, together with its oceanic blue shade (Pantone 2995C, based on court docket paperwork).

Blue Brew was based as a subsidiary of Southern Applied sciences, LLC, an organization created by Hui Chuan Liao, a Taiwanese lady with an Oakland, California, tackle. In proof provided to the court docket, Liao shared earlier emails to a graphic designer that referenced the Blue Bottle Espresso shade of blue, however mentioned the intent was to keep away from the precise shade. Liao additionally mentioned that the Blue Brew brand and packaging had been particularly designed to recall the Blue Mountain coffee-growing area of Jamaica, based on court docket paperwork.

Below the Blue Brew model, the corporate sells a variety of espresso tools corresponding to pourover espresso drippers, guide grinders and drinkware that are available acquainted shapes and supplies. The tools is packaged in a branded field with two shades of blue, one lighter and one darker than the Blue Bottle blue, based on the decide.

Notably, the lawsuit dates again to August of 2021, roughly one month after Blue Bottle Espresso assigned all of its trademark rights to guardian firm Nestlé, which acquired Blue Bottle in 2017.

Whereas respecting Blue Bottle’s proper to file the trademark swimsuit towards Blue Brew, Justice Breyer discovered inadequate proof to maneuver the case to a trial.

In his conclusion, he wrote, “Whereas the Court docket’s conclusion herein is predicated on greater than a single issue, that the events’ marks usually are not related leads the Court docket to imagine that no shopper is prone to be confused.”

Feedback? Questions? Information to share? Contact DCN’s editors right here. 

Associated Posts