Stock photo.
Lafayette, Indiana-based coffee roasting company Copper Moon Coffee is suing a Cleveland cafe by the name of The Copper Moon, saying a viral TikTok video caused confusion between the two businesses.
Alleging federal trademark infringement, unfair competition, false designation of origin and trademark dilution, the Indiana company said that it has received unwanted attention since an August 2024 TikTok that captured millions of views and generated hundreds of negative comments online.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, the TikTok showed a barista at The Copper Moon refusing to sell coffee to a customer because they believed the customer planned to give it to a homeless person outside the shop, which was allegedly against the shop’s policy. The barista is filmed saying, “I will lose my job.” The video has subsequently been removed from the social media platform.
Copper Moon Coffee claims it received negative online comments and direct messages from customers who mistakenly believed that the Cleveland coffee shop’s policy was associated with Copper Moon Coffee’s own brand. With roasting and production based in Lafayette, Indiana, Copper Moon Coffee LLC coffee products are distributed directly to consumers and through grocery channels throughout the United States, including in Ohio.
In the complaint, filed last October in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, Copper Moon LLC said it sent the Cleveland coffee shop owners a cease-and-desist letter related to trademark infringement over the Copper Moon name, and said owners did not reply.
In a legal response filed this week, the defendant (formally recognized as Orlando Coffee Company LLC), largely denied the plaintiff’s allegations regarding trademark infringement or trademark dilution, while calling for a jury trial.
The Cleveland company did acknowledge receiving a cease-and-desist letter, and confirmed allegations that it updated its Facebook profile with a statement designed to avoid confusion with Indiana’s Copper Moon Coffee, yet it disputes the exact timing and circumstances surrounding those events.
As of this writing, an Intro on the Facebook page of The Copper Moon said, “Not affiliated with the coffee roaster, Copper Moon Coffee, LLC, of Lafayette Indiana, or its produc.” [sic.]
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