Trader Joe’s lawsuit over Canadian store Pirate Joe’s can proceed
A U.S. court has the authority to hear a trademark lawsuit by grocery chain Trader Joe’s against a man who bought the company’s products and resold them in Canada at Pirate Joe’s, a store designed to mimic Trader Joe’s, a federal appeals court said Friday.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a district court’s decision to dismiss California-based Trader Joe’s federal trademark claims.
The district court in Washington state had said it lacked authority to hear those claims because the defendant’s reported trademark violations occurred in Canada and Trader Joe’s had failed to clearly explain how they affected U.S. commerce.
The 9th Circuit said defendant Michael Hallatt’s conduct could harm Trader Joe’s reputation, decreasing the value of its American-held trademarks.
Circuit Judge Morgan Christen also pointed out that Hallatt bought the Trader Joe’s goods he resold in Washington state.
Hallatt’s attorney, Nathan Alexander, said in an email that he and Hallatt disagree with the ruling and are evaluating their options.
Hallatt disputed that his store looks like a Trader Joe’s and said he has no intention of backing down.
“We’re here to see it through, and that means doing this for the people who want this stuff,” he said.
Trader Joe’s does not have stores in Canada. The company sued Hallatt in 2013, alleging that he drove across the border to a Trader Joe’s store in Washington state, bought the company’s products and resold them at higher prices at his Vancouver store.
A Trader Joe’s store refused to sell to Hallatt, but he put on disguises to avoid detection, shopped at other stores as far away as California and hired others to shop for him, the company said in its lawsuit. It estimated Hallatt had spent more than $350,000 on its products.
In court documents responding to the lawsuit, Hallatt said that his business was lawful and that he provided a service to Canadians who wanted Trader Joe’s products but didn’t want to go through the trouble of traveling to the U.S. to get them. Hallatt also said he never represented himself as an authorized reseller of Trader Joe’s products or as an affiliate of Trader Joe’s.
The 9th Circuit sent the case back to the district court for further proceedings.
ALSO
Pirate Joe’s in Vancouver sued for reselling Trader Joe’s faves
Trader Joe’s agrees to cut greenhouse gas emissions in court settlement
How a hot L.A. start-up went bankrupt: Inside the ‘stress cage’ that was Fuhu
