City Of Chicago Takes Coffee Company To Court Over Near-Identical Logos
Left logo: Chicago Fire Dept Right logo: Fire Dept. Coffee
The city of Chicago has fired up and sued coffee company Fire Dept. Coffee over a logo it says is too similar to that of the Chicago Fire Department.
Both brandings consist of a symbol with the letters C, F and D representing the entities’ names. Since they also sport similar colors, the logos might be difficult to differentiate.
The striking CFD emblem used by the Chicago Fire Department has been around since 1949, and is usually found on ambulances, trucks and uniforms.
According to the City of Chicago, the coffee company chose the symbol with the intention to “improperly ride on the city’s coattails and trade on the city’s success and goodwill.”
In Fire Dept. Coffee’s defense, the lettermark was created to reflect the fire service, as it volunteered to donate 10 percent of its proceeds to sick or injured firefighters. The company, founded by Rockford firefighter Luke Schneider and his wife Kate, justified that the style of the symbol was meant to mirror fire departments in the nation.
On top of that, it also received an official approval for the use of the lettermark after pursuing all legal channels to secure a trademark, the company explained in a statement.
city of chicago sues a firefighter-owned coffee roaster, fire department coffee, asserting the company’s logo--a red stylized monogram with letters “F,” “D,” & “C” intertwined--is nearly identical to the chicago fire department crest.https://t.co/1EzlR25l9o pic.twitter.com/cjH5KxHUij
— alexandra j. roberts (@lexlanham) January 30, 2020
A Rockford, IL coffee company allegedly has copied the Chicago Fire Department's logo. The City of Chicago is suing. The Rockford coffee company seems to be confused, claiming that (1) since the USPTO issued it a registration and (…https://t.co/xmXuqqvl61 https://t.co/ljH4Tcj0kV
— Stacey Kalamaras (@LegalKlo) February 4, 2020
[via Creative Bloq, opening image via Fire Dept. Coffee]
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