The food giants rolled out a sandwich in 2019 with the allegedly stolen slogan “Plant-Based, Great Taste.”

Dunkin’ and Beyond Meat have been sued by a vegan food producer over an alleged trademark infringement.

Vegadelphia Foods claims that the food giants stole the Philadelphia company’s ‘plant-based’ slogan for their joint sandwich in 2019.

Trademark battle

The lawsuit has been filed in a district court in Orlando, Florida.

According to the lawsuit, Vegadelphia Foods patented the phrase “Where Great Taste is Plant-Based” through the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2015, nearly four years before Dunkin’ and Beyond released their vegan sandwich’s slogan “Great Taste, Plant-Based”.

It also highlights that Beyond’s request to trademark “Great Taste, Plant-Based” was rejected in 2020.

Vegadelphia Foods – founded in 2004 – has also accused the companies of using the slogan in their ad campaign which featured Snoop Dogg asking customers: “You want that Plant-Based Great Taste fresh out of the oven?” whilst promoting the product.

Furthermore, the lawsuit argues that Dunkin’ and Beyond not only copied the slogan, but they also used placement and imagery in their branding that was nearly identical to Vegadelphia’s own branding.

“The overlap in font style, stacked text, and even sunray background imagery, is beyond coincidence,” the court documents read.

According to Vegadelphia, the food companies made more than $100 million in sales in the first six months of the vegan sandwich going on the market.

The vegan food producer said it is seeking reimbursement for the damages it incurred, along with court costs, plus a portion of Dunkin’ and Beyond’s profits, while also requesting the companies be blocked from using the slogan.

 It has also pleased a trial by jury.

Response

Dunkin’ and Beyond have not yet responded to the lawsuit nor released an official statement disclosing their stance.  

• Read: KFC exposed for ‘misleading’ propaganda of ‘humane’ chicken farming

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