Wrigley is trying to take a bite out of an e-cig company for pushing liquid smokes that look an awful lot like the iconic chewing gum brands, according to a federal lawsuit.
Chi-Town Vapers sells a yellow-labeled “Joosy Fruit Gum” and a green-clad “Dbl Mint E-Liquid” product that intentionally bear striking resemblance to Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit and Doublemint Mint gums, according to the company’s trademark lawsuit filed in Chicago federal court late last week.
In its complaint, Wrigley included photographs of Doublemint and Juicy Fruit wrappers going back to 1914 and 1905, respectively.
The company said Chi-Town Vapers also borrows from logos of Skittles, Hawaiian Punch, Mountain New, Red Bill and Nutella.
”Rather than develop their own brand names for their products, defendants have chosen to market their e-liquid for electronic cigarettes using the trademarks of various other well-known companies, including Wrigley’s brand names, without authorization or license,” according to the lawsuit.
A rep for Chi-Town Vapers – based in Bensenville, Illinois – could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday.