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The
lawsuit further alleged that Trader Joe's put its crustless PB&Js
peanut in packaging that too closely resembled the coloring of
an Uncrustables box and featured a similar photograph of a
sandwich with a bite taken out of one side.
In court filings, Trader Joe’s said its frozen sandwiches aren’t
round but shaped as “squircles,” or square sandwiches with
rounded edges. The company said the crimped design is necessary
to keep the contents inside the sandwich and Smucker, based in
Orrville, Ohio, shouldn’t be allowed to monopolize it.
Trader Joe’s also said Smucker’s current Uncrustables packaging,
which it only introduced in 2024, is not famous enough to meet
the standards of a federal trademark dilution claim.
“Smucker reaches too far. Its sandwiches’ appearance and cartoon
avatar are no Nike swoosh or McDonald’s golden arches,” Trader
Joe’s said in a January court filing that asked for the case to
be dismissed.
But U.S. District Judge John Adams ruled Friday that Smucker had
devoted significant resources to developing Uncrustables and
protecting the brand over the past 20 years. Adams said
customers have come to associate Uncrustables’ design trademarks
with the brand.
The judge also declined Trader Joe’s request to move the case to
California, where it is headquartered and where the third-party
supplier of its frozen sandwiches is also located.
The Associated Press left messages seeking comment Monday with
Trader Joe's and Smucker.
Smucker is seeking restitution from Trader Joe’s. It also wants
a judge to require Trader Joe’s to deliver all products and
packaging to Smucker to be destroyed.
Smucker filed its case a few months after another high-profile
trademark lawsuit. In May 2025, snack food maker Mondelez
International sued the Aldi supermarket chain, alleging the
packaging for Aldi’s store-brand cookies and crackers “blatantly
copies” Mondelez products like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins and
Oreos.
In a July federal court filing, Mondelez and Aldi told the judge
they were participating in settlement discussions.
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