Stanley Black & Decker sues Stanley cup maker over trademarks

Stanley Black & Decker

18/02/2025 17:46

By Blake Brittain
       Feb 18 (Reuters) - The maker of popular Stanley beverage
containers was hit with a lawsuit from U.S. toolmaker Stanley
Black & Decker  SWK.N  on Tuesday, accusing it of misusing the
"Stanley" name to gain "viral success."
    The lawsuit in Connecticut federal court against Pacific
Market International said its Stanley-branded cups confused
customers into thinking the two companies are affiliated and
broke a decades-long coexistence agreement.
    Stanley Black & Decker asked the court for an order blocking
PMI's use of the "Stanley" name and an unspecified amount of
monetary damages.
    The lawsuit said PMI has sold "hundreds and hundreds of
millions (if not billions) of dollars of STANLEY-branded
merchandise in violation of the parties' agreement." Sales of
Stanley cups skyrocketed after the brand gained popularity on
social media beginning in 2022.
    Spokespeople for PMI did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on the lawsuit. An attorney for Stanley
Black & Decker declined to comment.
    Toolmaker Stanley was founded in 1843. The lawsuit said
Stanley and PMI's predecessor Aladdin first signed a contract in
1966 that limited Aladdin's use of the "Stanley" name to
"insulated containers adapted to keep their contents hot or
cold."
    According to the complaint, a 2012 agreement signed
following PMI's "repeated non-compliance" with the 1966 contract
required it to include its full corporate name with "Stanley"
and not use "Stanley" as a "company name, division or proper
noun."
    The lawsuit said that PMI violated its contracts by
rebranding as Stanley 1913 and using "Stanley" as a standalone
name on its products and in advertising. The complaint also said
that Stanley Black & Decker faced harm to its reputation from
"several waves of negative press" about alleged risks of lead
poisoning and burn hazards from Stanley cups.
    The case is Stanley Black & Decker Inc v. Pacific Market
International LLC, U.S. District Court for the District of
Connecticut, No. 3:25-cv-00243.
    For SBD: Kevin Lamb, Louis Tompros and Omar Khan of Wilmer
Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr
    For PMI: attorney information not yet available

 (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)