JetBlue Suing Jetblack

Low-cost airline JetBlue has filed suit against Walmart, alleging that Jetblack, Walmart’s concierge shopping service, is infringing on its trademark. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, seeks a permanent injunction, and compensatory and punitive damages. It also would have Walmart destroy all labels, signs and other marketing paraphernalia that uses the Jetblack name. JetBlue maintains the name will confuse customers and that it constitutes a “transparent attempt” to capitalize on the goodwill of its enterprise. Jetblack, as explained in an article in Supermarket News, is a members-only service that was unveiled in May of 2018, and is currently available only in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Customers text a shopping request and it gets delivered the same or the next day, sourced from Walmart or its Jet.com subsidiary, or from other sources for things they don’t have. In a statement, Walmart says it takes the issue seriously and once it is served with the complaint “will respond appropriately with the court.”