Chipotle sues Sweetgreen over ‘copy-cat’ hen bowl

A combat of bowls between fast-casual chain Chipotle and rival Sweetgreen over the latter’s new chipotle hen burrito bowl may well be cooling off.

In a trademark-infringement lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court docket in California, Chipotle took factor with the product, which was once observed as a part of a transfer into the dinnertime marketplace via a emblem maximum related to lunch-break salads. The submitting fascinated about its title, promoting and advertising and marketing, announcing the similarities are supposed to confuse consumers and faucet into Chipotle’s long-standing recognition.

However on Thursday, each firms stated they have been operating to get to the bottom of the litigation, with Sweetgreen agreeing to rebrand its menu merchandise. “To be able to focal point at the trade and proceed serving our visitors with out distraction, we’ve made up our minds to rename our bowl to the Rooster + Chipotle Pepper Bowl as a part of a tentative settlement to get to the bottom of the lawsuit,” the chain stated in an emailed remark.

That transfer gave the look to be sufficient for Chipotle. “We’re happy that Sweetgreen has selected to amend their fabrics in a way that protects our emblems and highbrow belongings, and due to this fact, we’ve each agreed to get to the bottom of the pending lawsuit,” Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s leader company affairs officer stated in a remark. “We will be able to proceed our vigilance in protective our highbrow belongings available on the market.”

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Chipotle’s preliminary lawsuits targeted on Sweetgreen’s use of “Chipotle” in an uppercase font, in addition to what it alleges are similarities within the font and signature “Abobe Crimson” colour the corporate utilized in more than a few commercials. Within the lawsuit, Chipotle stated its legal professional had in the past contacted Sweetgreen’s legal professional and had steered that the corporate as a substitute use a lowercase “c” and describe its new product with verbiage similar to “ … with chipotle flavoring” or “hen bowl with chipotle.”

The lawsuit says Sweetgreen supposed to “infringe Chipotle’s highbrow belongings, confuse and/or lie to shoppers, and wrongfully make the most of and industry off of Chipotle’s treasured goodwill and popularity.” It asks for the court docket to reserve Sweetgreen to forestall and to award it unspecified damages.

Chipotle pointed to food-industry media accounts noting the similarities between Sweetgreen’s bowl and Chipotle’s merchandise, in addition to Sweetgreen’s social media account, which cheekily handled other people pointing them out. When one commenter spoke back to an Instagram submit selling the bowl with “Chipotle who?!,” Sweetgreen spoke back, “you stated it, now not us” accompanied via a “zipped lips” emoji.

Sweetgreen, which opened its first location in Washington in 2007, has unexpectedly expanded and now has eating places in 16 states plus the District. Its founders have stated they have got ambitions to make it “the Starbucks of salad.”

Chipotle, which was once based in Denver in 1993, has a number of emblems related to its title and more than a few shows of it.

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Supply Via https://www.washingtonpost.com/meals/2023/04/06/chipotle-lawsuit-sweetgreen-burrito-bowl/