Crust-less sandwiches from Smucker’s and Trader Joe’s are displayed on Oct. 15, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)
\n\nA federal judge has ruled that J.M. Smucker can proceed with a lawsuit against Trader Joe’s over frozen sandwiches that Smucker claims are too similar to its Uncrustables.
\n\nSmucker sued Trader Joe’s in federal court in Ohio last fall, claiming Trader Joe’s committed a trademark violation when it introduced frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the same round shape and crimped edges as Uncrustables.
\n\nThe lawsuit further alleged that Trader Joe’s put its crustless PB&Js peanut in packaging that too closely resembled the coloring of an Uncrustables box and featured a similar photograph of a sandwich with a bite taken out of one side.
\n\nIn court filings, Trader Joe’s said its frozen sandwiches aren’t round but shaped as “squircles,” or square sandwiches with rounded edges. The company said the crimped design is necessary to keep the contents inside the sandwich and Smucker, based in Orrville, Ohio, shouldn’t be allowed to monopolize it.
\n\nTrader Joe’s also said Smucker’s current Uncrustables packaging, which it only introduced in 2024, is not famous enough to meet the standards of a federal trademark dilution claim.
Original source: https://apnews.com/business