Chicago, Firefighter-Owned IL Coffee Roaster Settle over Logo

A firefighter-owned coffee roaster in Illinois and the Chicago Fire Department have amicably settled a trademark infringement lawsuit that was brought against the company earlier this year.

According to the settlement, Fire Department Coffee will not charge its name. But over the next several months, the coffee company will be switching to a newly designed logo.

“While we don’t believe there was any wrongdoing on our part in creating our original Fire Department Coffee logo, we were able to resolve this lawsuit quickly and amicably, in conjunction with our plan to transition to a newly designed logo,” said Luke Schneider, Fire Department Coffee's owner. “We’re proud to be Rockford firefighters who make quality coffee that supports first responders, and this settlement allows us to continue to focus our energy on our business and its mission.”

In January, the city of Chicago had sued Rockford-based Fire Department Coffee over similarities in between their logos. According to the lawsuit, the coffee company's interlocking "F," "D" and "C" is "likely to cause consumer confusion" with the municipal fire service and its federally trademarked insignia. 

The lawsuit asks all Fire Department Coffee material featuring the logo be destroyed. It also seeks monetary relief plus civil penalties of $10,000 for each violation of Chicago's Consumer Fraud Ordinance.

But Schneider, who also is a Rockford firefighter, told Firehouse.com News at the time that he didn't think there's any confusion between the two designs.

"We feel our logos are very different," he said.

In fact, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a trademark for the business' logo as it pertains to coffee, cups and mugs. According USPTO documents, a trademark for Fire Department Coffee's logo was issued June 4, 2019.  

Fire Department Coffee was founded in 2016, according to the company's Facebook page. Along with a variety of coffees, the business also sells mugs and T-shirts with the company's logo, and "10% of proceeds from every order goes towards supporting ill or injured firefighters and first responders" through the Fire Department Coffee Foundation.

Helping fellow firefighters has been central to the business because many of the people behind the scenes are either currently in the fire service or retired firefighters. Fire Department Coffee is even used in stations around Chicago, which what makes it frustrating and disappointing for Schneider as the lawsuit over the logo works its way through the legal system.

"We're firefighters first and a business second," he added.