TAMPA — In a federal lawsuit last year, Publix accused an online retailer of using a logo containing the letter “p” that the grocer said was too similar to one that has branded Publix for half a century.
Publix wanted the New York-based Pharmapacks, which sells health and beauty products on its own website and on platforms including Amazon, to stop using the logo — a sans serif letter “p” contained in a circle of blue. The Publix “p” logo is circled in green.
Publix wanted a jury trial and damages, alleging “trademark infringement, unfair competition and trademark dilution” due to Pharmapacks’ “confusingly similar” logo, according to the lawsuit filed in October 2021.
But five months later, in March 2022, the case was dismissed after a confidential settlement between Publix and Pharmapacks — the details of which were not disclosed in court records.
This week, the blue “p” logo continued to appear on the pharmapacks.com webpage. It was unclear if the parties had agreed that Pharmapacks could continue using the logo or would stop using it at some future date, or what other specific agreements may have been reached in the settlement.
Attorneys representing both Publix and Pharmapacks did not respond to calls and emails for comment this week, nor did a Publix spokesperson. Pharmapacks public relations did not respond to emails for comment.
The lawsuit alleged that the Pharmapacks “p” logo created the misleading impression that its products were made by, associated with or endorsed by Publix, a Fortune 500 company with more than 1,250 stores and more than 225,000 employees.