By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The maker of Dannon yogurt sued rival Chobani on Tuesday for allegedly copying its “Bright & Mellow” slogan and yellow-and-black packaging for a competing line of ready-to-drink cold brew coffee.
Danone said Chobani engaged in “knowing, calculated, and systematic” trademark infringement by using packaging for La Colombe-branded coffee that was “strikingly similar” to packaging for its own SToK coffee.
The lawsuit is at least the third between Danone and Chobani in the last decade.
In its complaint in Manhattan federal court, Danone said it began using “Bright & Mellow” in January 2021 to distinguish itself from Starbucks and then-independent La Colombe, which emphasized roast levels and coffee bean origins.
It said that after buying La Colombe for $900 million in December 2023, Chobani substituted “Bright & Mellow” for that brand’s “Bright & Flavorful” on coffee packaging, and now calls the product “light roast” instead of “medium roast.”
Danone said this inevitably causes consumer confusion, especially among hurried shoppers scanning shelves in their local Kroger, Target or Walmart.
The changes will “cause severe and irreparable harm to Danone and the goodwill it has built up in the Bright & Mellow mark over the past four and a half years,” Danone said.
Chobani did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Danone is based in Paris. Its U.S. unit is based in White Plains, New York, while Chobani is based in upstate Norwich, New York.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop Chobani from selling products that could cause confusion, plus lost profits and triple damages.
The case is Danone US LLC et al v Chobani LLC, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 25-06217.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New YorkEditing by Bill Berkrot)
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