Federal Judge Allows Cold Brew Trademark Lawsuit Against Chobani's La Colombe to Move Forward – CoffeeTalk

A federal judge has dismissed Chobani’s request to reject a lawsuit filed by Dannon’s parent company, Danone, which claims that Chobani copied elements of its packaging and slogan for the La Colombe line of cold brew coffee. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon determined that Danone has made a plausible case suggesting that Chobani’s use of a yellow-and-black color scheme alongside the slogan “Bright & Mellow” could confuse consumers, referencing Danone’s similar branding used for its SToK coffee products.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages and mandates that Chobani alter its branding to eliminate consumer confusion concerning the “Bright & Mellow” trademark, is part of an ongoing legal rivalry between the two companies, with four lawsuits filed since 2016 regarding various disputes in the yogurt market. Judge Rochon dismissed Chobani’s claims that the “Bright & Mellow” slogan was too generic to warrant trademark protection or was merely descriptive of coffee attributes. Furthermore, she noted that Danone’s assertions that Chobani’s marketing strategies aimed to align their products closely with SToK could imply bad faith on Chobani’s part.

Chobani has counterclaimed that Danone’s motivations for the lawsuit are opportunistic, seeking to exploit trademark laws against a dominant competitor. Recently, Danone also accused Chobani of misrepresenting the protein content in its 20G Protein yogurt, suggesting that it made the product appear more protein-rich than Danone’s Oikos Pro yogurt. In response, Chobani’s founder Hamdi Ulukaya denied these allegations, asserting that their products do not have any added protein to mislead consumers. Chobani acquired La Colombe for $900 million in December 2023, while Danone operates from its U.S. subsidiary located in White Plains, New York, and is headquartered in Paris.

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