Dive Brief:
- 7-Eleven has filed a lawsuit against an Illinois law firm, claiming trademark infringement.
- The c-store chain claims Seven Eleven Law Group is unlawfully using its name as well as its green-and-white color scheme on its website and business cards, according to the suit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
- The chain’s suit also includes charges for unfair competition, trademark dilution and deceptive trade practices.
Dive Insight:
In its lawsuit, 7-Eleven says it became aware of the Seven Eleven Law Group earlier this year after a franchisee told the company it had contacted the law firm thinking it was 7-Eleven’s internal legal department.
The c-store chain said it sent a cease-and-desist letter to firm’s owner, India Rios, but that Rios wrote back stating that the firm was not “infringing or diluting” 7-Eleven’s trademark. Seven Eleven Law Group has continued to operate since then.
Rios told Bloomberg Law that the complaint was “baseless” because the two companies operate in different industries. She told the publication she plans to fight the suit.
Founded in 2021 in Chicago, Seven Eleven Law Group specializes in business and trademark law for small businesses.
7-Eleven, which is seeking to halt the law firm’s use of anything resembling its trademarks along with damages and attorneys’ fees, has filed similar lawsuits in the past. In 2015, it prevailed in a legal battle with a Pennsylvania c-store called Super 7 Food Mart that a judge ruled had infringed on the company’s trademarks.
