Dive Brief:
- 7-Eleven’s trademark infringement lawsuit against an Illinois law firm was dismissed last week, according to filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
- The c-store retailer sued the law firm, Seven Eleven Law Group, last November, accusing it of using 7-Eleven’s name and its green-and-white color scheme on its website and business cards. The civil lawsuit also included charges for unfair competition, trademark dilution and deceptive trade practices.
- 7-Eleven and Seven Eleven agreed to an undisclosed settlement prior to filing a joint motion to dismiss the case on July 23. Attorneys representing both companies did not respond by press time when asked to comment on the settlement.
Dive Insight:
The lawsuit had made little progress several months after its filing. By February 2024, 7-Eleven was still claiming that the law firm’s trademark was causing confusion among consumers and diluting the distinctiveness of the retailer’s notable branding in violation of the Lanham Act — the primary federal trademark statute in the U.S. — and Illinois law.
Meanwhile, Seven Eleven held firm in its claim that 7-Eleven was “asserting rights beyond the scope of their trademark registrations,” the February status update noted. Seven Eleven argued that its branding, target market and services were distinct enough from the c-store retailer to avoid any confusion or dilution.
At the time, 7-Eleven sought injunctive relief, disgorgement of profits, actual damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and costs from Seven Eleven. However, the c-store retailer was unable to offer an estimate of the scope of relief.
Five months later, the case has been dismissed via the settlement. 7-Eleven never revealed its desired relief amount in court.
“The parties have resolved this matter pursuant to a confidential settlement agreement and stipulate to the dismissal of all claims without prejudice,” the July 23 joint dismissal motion read.
The joint dismissal was approved by the court on July 24. The case has officially been terminated.
This is the second lawsuit that 7-Eleven has closed in a matter of weeks. In mid-July, the company prevailed in its ongoing lawsuit against two former franchisees in California after 7-Eleven cut ties with them over accusations of fraudulent c-store transactions.
Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada.
