He told the newspaper that company executives and lawyers are working with the Orthodox Union, a kosher-certification group, [image-nocss] to settle the trademark issue and get the lawsuit dismissed.
Collins said Luke's new "Serving U" logo could be seen as infringing on the kosher symbol.
"We're just working towards a common ground where everyone's happy," Collins said.
The lawsuit accuses the Hobart, Ind.-based gas station chain of infringing on the "OU" symbol the Orthodox Union gives to products certified as kosher. The lawsuit targets the symbol Luke rolled out earlier this year as part of the "Serving U" campaign, said the report.
Luke's symbol can be seen on the gas stations' coffee and soda cups and on the company's website, uluke.com.
Word of negotiations between Luke and the Orthodox Union's Chicago representatives had not reached the union's Washington, D.C., lawyer Thursday. Attorney David Butler said he does not believe Luke executives are trying to pass off the company's refreshments as kosher. The suit was filed, Butler said, because Luke executives were told September 10 the logo infringes on the union's logo. The Luke logo remains in use, and that stands as a "form of consumer fraud," Butler told the paper.
"We had several exchanges with the company and one with their lawyer telling us they were going to give us their proposal," Butler said. "They gave us nothing, and we had no choice but to file."
Orthodox Jewish dietary laws prohibit a host of foods, including pork and shellfish. But the laws are more complex than simple prohibitions on meats, the report said. For a food to be kosher, all ingredients must be kosher, and the food must be manufactured according to kosher rules. The Orthodox Union argues this complexity is what makes the "OU" brand so valuable: it gives "guidance" in the grocery aisles to millions of U.S. consumers who keep kosher, according to the lawsuit.
Luke Oil rolled out the new "Serving U" campaign logo earlier this year, the report said. Of 25 Luke Oil-owned stations, four use the logo, Collins said.
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