Federal Judge Allows Smucker’s Trademark Lawsuit Against Trader Joe’s to Move Forward

POLICY WIRE — Orrville, Ohio — A federal judge has decided that J.M. Smucker Company can continue its legal action against Trader Joe’s. The lawsuit concerns Trader Joe’s frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which Smucker alleges are too similar to its own product, Uncrustables.

Smucker initiated the lawsuit in Ohio’s federal court last autumn. The company asserts that Trader Joe’s infringed on its trademark by launching a comparable product with a round shape and crimped edges, akin to Uncrustables.

Additionally, Smucker claims that Trader Joe’s packaging for its crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches mimics the color scheme and design of Uncrustables’ packaging, including a photograph of a sandwich with a bite taken out.

Trader Joe’s has contested these claims, stating that its sandwiches are not round but rather “squircles” – square sandwiches with rounded edges. The company argues that the crimped design is essential for keeping the sandwich’s contents intact and that Smucker should not have exclusive rights to this design.

Furthermore, Trader Joe’s contends that Smucker’s current Uncrustables packaging, introduced in 2024, does not have sufficient recognition to support a federal trademark dilution claim.

In a January court filing, Trader Joe’s compared Smucker’s sandwiches’ appearance and cartoon avatar unfavorably to iconic trademarks like the Nike swoosh or McDonald’s golden arches, urging the court to dismiss the case.

However, U.S. District Judge John Adams ruled in favor of Smucker, acknowledging the company’s substantial investment in developing and protecting the Uncrustables brand over the past two decades. Judge Adams also noted that consumers have come to associate the design trademarks of Uncrustables with the brand.

The judge rejected Trader Joe’s proposal to transfer the case to California, where both Trader Joe’s headquarters and its third-party supplier of frozen sandwiches are located.

Smucker is pursuing restitution from Trader Joe’s and has requested that all related products and packaging be handed over to Smucker for destruction.

This lawsuit follows another notable trademark dispute. In May 2025, Mondelez International sued Aldi, claiming that Aldi’s store-brand cookies and crackers packaging blatantly imitates Mondelez products such as Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins, and Oreos. As of July, Mondelez and Aldi were engaged in settlement discussions.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)