U.S. grocery chain Trader Joe’s has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles against decentralized exchange Trader Joe, accusing the platform of trademark infringement and seeking to stop it from using the disputed name. According to the complaint, the crypto platform, launched in 2021, adopted a name confusingly similar to the supermarket brand and allegedly used the exact “Trader Joe’s” trademark on its website and social media without authorization.
Retailer says the branding causes confusion and reputational harm
In the filing, Trader Joe’s argues that the exchange is attempting to profit from the supermarket’s established reputation and goodwill by creating confusion over whether the two businesses are connected. The retailer says consumers could mistakenly believe the exchange is affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Trader Joe’s. It also claims the branding weakens the distinctiveness of its mark and damages the company’s reputation. The complaint states that multiple cease-and-desist letters were sent to the crypto platform, but the issue was not resolved.
Complaint includes domain and unfair competition claims
Beyond trademark infringement, the lawsuit includes claims for trademark dilution, cybersquatting, unfair competition, and conversion. Trader Joe’s is asking the court for injunctive relief, monetary damages, and legal fees. The complaint also alleges that during an international domain dispute process, the exchange said the platform was named after developer brother Joe Liu. Trader Joe’s describes that explanation as a fraudulent effort to avoid giving up the domain traderjoexyz.com.
Trader Joe is a DEX on Avalanche
Trader Joe was founded in 2021 by pseudonymous developers Cryptofish and Oxmurloc. It operates a decentralized exchange, liquidity pools, and lending services on the Avalanche blockchain. The source article says the platform had more than $76 million in total value locked, while its native token JOE was trading at about $0.23. The provided material did not include a formal response from the exchange to the lawsuit.