Walmart Lawsuit: JetBlue Files Trademark Infringement Lawsuit Against Retailer

JetBlue Airways (JBLU) has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Walmart (WMT) for the use of the name Jetblack. Jetblack is Walmart’s text-based personal shopping service, which it rolled out in May 2018.

The lawsuit was filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.

In the lawsuit, JetBlue claimed that Walmart made a “transparent attempt” to capitalize on the goodwill created with the airline’s trademark name, according to court filings. The air carrier also contended that Walmart would cause “significant consumer confusion” by using the name.

JetBlue also maintained that Walmart could further hurt its trademark by introducing other “Jet+color” brands that could interfere with its trademark such as Jetgold or Jetsilver, which could cause the companies to compete against each other on entertainment, travel or dining.

As the sixth largest airline, JetBlue owns 43 federal trademark registrations that date as far back as 1999, Reuters reported

Walmart is named in the suit as well as its Jet.com business. JetBlue is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Walmart bought Jet.com in 2016.

In an emailed statement to International Business Times, Walmart said: “Walmart is an intellectual property owner and respects the intellectual property rights of others. We take this issue seriously and once we are served with the complaint, we will respond appropriately with the court.”

Shares of JetBlue were down 0.11 percent as of 3:11 p.m. ET on Monday while shares of Walmart were up 0.18 percent at the same time.

The story was updated to include a statement by Walmart.