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Danone has filed a federal lawsuit against Chobani, accusing the dairy and beverage company of copying the tagline and packaging of one of its top-selling cold brew coffee products.

The legal dispute centres around the phrase ‘Bright & Mellow,' a trademark Danone claims it has used since 2021 for a drink under its STōK brand.

In the complaint, filed in the US District Court of New York, Danone alleges that Chobani engaged in ‘knowing, calculated and systematic’ trademark infringement after it rebranded its La Colombe cold brew product with the same ‘Bright & Mellow’ slogan. The suit goes on to claim that Chobani also redesigned its bottles to resemble the STōK packaging in a ‘strikingly similar’ way.

Chobani acquired La Colombe for $900 million in 2023, and according to the filing, changed the name of a La Colombe product from ‘Bright & Flavourful’ to “Bright & Mellow’ shortly after the acquisition. The new labels now promote the drink as a ‘light roast’ rather than a ‘medium roast,' another point of contention for Danone.

Danone claims that these changes are likely to confuse customers when the products are displayed side by side and, as such, is seeking an injunction to stop Chobani from using the name or similar packaging to the STōK product. The complaint argues that “hurried shoppers” would likely mistake La Colombe for STōK. The suit also demands reparations for a loss of profits.

This is the third filing Danone has made against Chobani in recent years, alleging misleading marketing practices.

Danone is headquartered in Paris, with US units in White Plains, New York, while Chobani is headquartered in Norwich, New York.