Stanley Black and Decker — the toolmaker — is suing the maker of the popular Stanley cups over the use of their shared name.
According to the lawsuit, Stanley Black and Decker alleges that the cup maker violated an agreement the companies had arrived at regarding when and where the name “Stanley” could be used.
Stanley cups — which became a must-have accessory for some shoppers around 2022 after they became prominent on TikTok — are manufactured by Pacific Market International.
Stanley Black and Decker — which has been around since 1843 — says in its lawsuit that its issue isn’t with the popularity of the cups, but concern over potential brand damage caused by a major recall in 2024, according to Fortune.
Last year, 2.6 million Stanley cups were recalled after nearly 40 people were burned due to faulty lids. Stanley Black and Decker is alleging that the recall damaged its reputation as consumers mistakenly believed the cups were made by the tool company rather than PMI.
It notes in the lawsuit that Stanley Black and Decker sells its own branded apparel, including clothing, gloves, and hats.
“PMI has willfully and intentionally ignored the carefully crafted restrictions of the parties’ agreement, choosing instead to use Stanley broadly, including in ways that the parties’ agreement expressly prohibited and that infringe on Stanley’s trademark rights,” the lawsuit says.
According to Stanley Black and Decker, it reached an agreement in 1966 with PMI’s predecessor, Aladdin, limiting the use of the name to “insulated containers adapted to keep their contents hot or cold.” That agreement was amended in 2012. Stanley Black and Decker claims that PMI agreed in the updated agreement to use its company name — PMI — in conjunction with the Stanley name in order to differentiate the brands.
The lawsuit claims that PMI does not use its company name on its products, and thus has violated the agreement.
“Long after Stanley was established, PMI’s predecessor began selling insulated containers (cups and bottles) labeled Stanley. Over a half-century ago, Stanley and PMI’s predecessor recognized both the extent of Stanley’s senior rights and that PMI’s use of Stanley, if unconstrained, was likely to cause consumer confusion,” the lawsuit alleges. “The parties thus entered into a series of agreements beginning in 1966 and continuing through 2012 to, among other things, prohibit PMI from using Stanley as its company name, limit PMI’s use of Stanley to specific categories of goods and place strict requirements on PMI’s website domain name and on how PMI’s advertising and goods had to be displayed and/or marked.”
PMI has rejected the company’s allegations, insisting it has the legal rights to the name for the products it sells.
“We own the ‘Stanley’ brand in the Food and Beverage container category. Stanley Black & Decker’s Complaint takes aim at our century-old Stanley brand, apparently seeking to exploit our success and undermine over a century of innovation and hard work developing our food and beverage containment products.” Matt Navarro, PMI WW Brands, LLC’s Global President, told Fortune. “Protecting and defending our brand is crucial.”
The company claims that Stanley Black and Decker is trying to capitalize on the success of its cups.
“PMI’s Stanley brand dates back to 1913 when William Stanley, Jr. developed the revolutionary vacuum flask,“ PMI said in its statement. “[Stanley Black and Decker’s] filing appears aimed at exploiting PMI’s Stanley brand affinity and fanbase, which has been carefully cultivated and nurtured over the past 100+ years.“
The lawsuit aims to stop PMI from selling products using the Stanley name in the future and is also seeking compensation.
“PMI’s breach of contract and trademark infringement poses an imminent threat of irreparable harm to Stanley, the Stanley brand, and the goodwill and advantageous business relationships that Stanley has earned by using Stanley in commerce for almost two centuries,” the suit claims.
