Hormel Avoids Smucker’s Trade Dress Suit Over Peanut Butter Jar

J.M. Smucker Co.'s lawsuit seeking a declaration that the light blue packaging for its new JIF No Added Sugar peanut butter didn’t infringe any trade dress right Hormel Food Corp. has in the teal blue it uses in its Skippy peanut butter packaging was dismissed by a federal district court in Ohio.

Smucker is located in Ohio and Hormel is a Delaware corporation. Smucker asserted that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio had jurisdiction over its action because Hormel sent cease and desist letters to it in Ohio.

Sending a cease and desist letter alone is ...