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A clothing company that sold sexually explicit T-shirts with the Trader Joe’s name is being sued by the California grocery chain giant. Late last month, Trader Joe’s filed a lawsuit against Texas-based T-Shirt AT Fashion for trademark infringement and unfair competition based on the sale of merchandise that used the Trader Joe’s logo and similar brand images.
In the complaint filed by Trader Joe’s on April 20 with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the chain noted that T-Shirt AT Fashion was selling “I got my ass ate at Trader Joe’s” shirts, in addition to items that read “Traitor Joe’s,” which featured a photo of President Joe Biden.
“Displaying the Trader Joe’s mark alone would violate Trader Joe’s intellectual property rights,” the filing read in part. “T-Shirt AT’s profane addition causes further injury by tarnishing Trader Joe’s reputation in the mind of consumers and diminishing the positive, wholesome reputation of the Trader Joe’s brand.”