BROOKLYN, N.Y. --7-Eleven Inc. is suing two knockoff convenience stores in Brooklyn, N.Y., for trademark infringement, dilution of its brand, unfair competition and unjust enrichment.
The Irving, Texas-based c-store chain is suing Z-Eleven Convenience Store Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Brooklyn Division. It is seeking to have the store “immediately and permanently” remove signage that very closely resembles 7-Eleven’s own signage, from logo to color scheme, according to court documents. It also seeks to have the operator remove the logo from its goods and services.
7-Eleven also seeks damages and attorneys’ fees.
The “defendant has set out on a deliberate course of conduct to deceive consumers into believing that the infringing site is connected, associated or affiliated with 7-Eleven in order to trade on 7-Eleven’s valuable goodwill,” the company said in its lawsuit.
7-Eleven notified the defendant of its trademark rights and has attempted to resolve the dispute before going to court, it said. On June 28, representatives of 7-Eleven visited Z-Eleven and hand-delivered a demand letter and settlement proposal. The defendant did not respond to that letter and has continued to use the same signage.
7-Eleven is also suing the Eleven-7 Food Mart on Coney Island on similar grounds, reported The New York Daily News.
7-Eleven has sued other retailers that infringed on its trademark, including 7 Plus, Super-7 and 7-Even convenience stores.
Another c-store retailer, Lake Jackson, Texas-based Buc-ee’s Ltd., recently filed similar lawsuits, including recently against the operator of Choke Canyon Travel Center, a combined convenience store and barbecue restaurant in Atascosa, Texas, for trademark infringement and unfair competition.
Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises and licenses more than 10,700 7-Eleven convenience stores in North America. Globally, approximately 59,500 7-Eleven stores serve customers in 17 countries.
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