T-Shirt Company Settles Trademark Dispute with The North Face

Last August, Raleigh, North Carolina-based apparel brand The Trap Face was sued by The North Face for trademark infringement.

As reported by Triangle Business Journal (TBJ), the lawsuit claimed the brand “copied and infringed” on The North Face’s signature half dome trademark.

Within the lawsuit, The North Face claims The Trap Face owner Malik Grubbs is playing off the term “trap,” commonly known and used to refer to illicit drugs. Within its complaint, The North Face stated that it fears the comparison could tarnish its brand.

Previously, Grubbs told TBJ he had no plans to change the logo, claiming its difference from The North Face logo. The companies have thus been engaged in settlement negotiations for the last few months.

Recently, the case has reached a settlement. The court found that Grubbs did infringe on The North Face’s rights with its apparel, and Trap Face is now barred from manufacturing, importing, advertising, marketing, promoting, supplying, or selling products “bearing one or more of The North Face Trademarks or marks confusingly similar thereto.”

In addition, the company is also barred from engaging in any activities that will cause The North Face trademarks “to be diluted, tarnished, or blurred.”