{"id":14896,"date":"2023-04-12T16:08:52","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T16:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/?p=14896"},"modified":"2023-04-13T11:56:34","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T11:56:34","slug":"burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes, occur more frequently than ever in today\u2019s global economy. That is because intellectual property is an essential aspect of many businesses. Therefore, it\u2019s important for business owners to take preventative measures to prevent intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes.<\/p>\n

Intellectual property<\/a> is any intangible asset that a business has created. It may include patents, copyrights<\/a>, trade secrets<\/a>, or trademarks, among others. Taking efforts to establish and protect your company\u2019s intellectual property has many benefits. Benefits include providing a competitive advantage, generating revenue, building brand recognition and visibility, and avoiding legal issues, such as a trademark dispute.<\/p>\n

A Trademark Dispute Between Chipotle and Sweetgreen<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Recently, two heavy-hitter fast-casual restaurant chains became involved in a trademark infringement dispute. Trademark infringement is defined as the unauthorized use of a trademark. It can occur when one party uses a trademark<\/a> that is too similar to another party\u2019s trademark which, causes consumer confusion in the marketplace. When this happens, the trademark owner may bring a trademark infringement claim.<\/p>\n

Sweetgreen<\/a> is a trendy salad chain that debuted a \u201cChipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl\u201d as a new menu item. Chipotle, the popular Mexican food chain, allegedly sent Sweetgreen a cease-and-desist letter before filing the lawsuit and demanded that Sweetgreen remove the word \u201cchipotle\u201d from the name. Sweetgreen apparently did not respond, and Chipotle moved forward with its trademark infringement claim.<\/p>\n

Just days after the \u201cChipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl\u201d debuted on Sweetgreen\u2019s menu, Chipotle filed suit in a California federal court. The company alleged that Sweetgreen\u2019s menu item infringed on its trademark. Specifically, Chipotle was claiming likelihood of confusion among customers. The lawsuit was resolved quickly. Sweetgreen renamed the new dish \u201cChicken + Chipotle Pepper Bowl.\u201d The name rebrand allowed Sweetgreen to keep the item on its menu.<\/p>\n

Elements and Defenses to a Trademark Infringement Claim <\/strong><\/h5>\n

If the lawsuit had proceeded, Chipotle would have had to demonstrate the following elements to prove infringement:<\/p>\n

(1) showing that it had a valid trademark;<\/p>\n

(2) showing that Sweetgreen had used the trademark in commerce; and<\/p>\n

(3) showing the likelihood of confusion of the trademark based on Sweetgreen\u2019s use.<\/p>\n

Each of these elements is necessary to support a trademark infringement claim.<\/p>\n

Sweetgreen likely would have raised certain defenses, such as:
\nDescriptive fair use<\/strong>. This is the good faith use of a trademark for its primary, descriptive meaning (chipotle as a smoked, dried jalape\u00f1o\u00a0pepper) rather than its secondary meaning (Chipotle as the fast-casual restaurant).<\/p>\n

After the trademark dispute lawsuit was reported, Sweetgreen\u2019s stock dipped 6%. This hit shows\u00a0 the impact that intellectual property and disputes can have on a business. Not only does intellectual property play a role in a company\u2019s ability to carve out a space in the marketplace and generate revenue, but it is also critical in the eventual sale of a business<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to Protect Your Business\u2019 Intellectual Property<\/strong><\/h5>\n

To protect your business\u2019 trademarks, be sure to choose a unique trademark that is not similar to an existing trademark. Running a trademark search<\/a> through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) can help with that decision. Then, the business should complete its own federal trademark registration through the USPTO.<\/p>\n

Businesses should regularly monitor for infringement of their registered mark and take prompt action to address it. If your business is seeking to protect its intellectual property or defend against a trademark dispute, or other intellectual property theft or infringement, we can help<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes, occur more frequently than ever in today\u2019s global economy. That is because intellectual property is an essential aspect of many businesses. Therefore, it\u2019s important for business owners to take preventative measures to prevent intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes. Intellectual property is any intangible asset that a business has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mo_disable_npp":"no","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,8,9],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s important for business owners to take preventative measures to prevent intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s important for business owners to take preventative measures to prevent intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-12T16:08:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-13T11:56:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Chipotle-vs-Sweetgreen-Trademark-Dispute-003.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jill Ullman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jill Ullman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/\",\"name\":\"What Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Chipotle-vs-Sweetgreen-Trademark-Dispute-003.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-12T16:08:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-13T11:56:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6748b82ef2219a044204aafb55b9bf89\"},\"description\":\"It\u2019s important for business owners to take preventative measures to prevent intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Chipotle-vs-Sweetgreen-Trademark-Dispute-003.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Chipotle-vs-Sweetgreen-Trademark-Dispute-003.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628,\"caption\":\"trademark dispute\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/\",\"name\":\"Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.\",\"description\":\"A Business Law Firm In Atlanta\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6748b82ef2219a044204aafb55b9bf89\",\"name\":\"Jill Ullman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d2903a86f9109bc165f1325a821fb99?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d2903a86f9109bc165f1325a821fb99?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jill Ullman\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/author\/jillullman\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?","description":"It\u2019s important for business owners to take preventative measures to prevent intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?","og_description":"It\u2019s important for business owners to take preventative measures to prevent intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/","og_site_name":"Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.","article_published_time":"2023-04-12T16:08:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-13T11:56:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Chipotle-vs-Sweetgreen-Trademark-Dispute-003.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jill Ullman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jill Ullman","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/","name":"What Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Chipotle-vs-Sweetgreen-Trademark-Dispute-003.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-12T16:08:52+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-13T11:56:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6748b82ef2219a044204aafb55b9bf89"},"description":"It\u2019s important for business owners to take preventative measures to prevent intellectual property disputes, including trademark disputes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Chipotle-vs-Sweetgreen-Trademark-Dispute-003.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Chipotle-vs-Sweetgreen-Trademark-Dispute-003.jpg","width":1200,"height":628,"caption":"trademark dispute"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/burrito-bowls-what-your-business-can-learn-from-a-trademark-dispute\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Can Your Business Learn From a Fast Food Trademark Dispute?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/","name":"Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.","description":"A Business Law Firm In Atlanta","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6748b82ef2219a044204aafb55b9bf89","name":"Jill Ullman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d2903a86f9109bc165f1325a821fb99?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d2903a86f9109bc165f1325a821fb99?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jill Ullman"},"url":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/author\/jillullman\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14896"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14896"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14905,"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14896\/revisions\/14905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}